For information on how to listen or subscribe to a podcast, visit our Medically Speaking podcast page.
To reach any of the experts featured in our podcasts or other experts at the Maryland Heart Center, call 410-328-5842 or 1-800-492-5538.
About Medically Speaking Podcasts
Our Medically Speaking podcasts are informative discussions with medical experts from the University of Maryland Heart Center and the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Each podcast is approximately 10 minutes in length and covers a different heart-related topic.
Select a Medically Speaking program, or simply scroll down the page:
What is heart failure? Who is at risk? How can heart failure be prevented? These are some of the questions answered by Mandeep R. Mehra, M.D., chief of cardiology at the University of Maryland Medical Center and professor of medicine and head of the Division of Cardiology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.
In an interview with Bill Seiler, Dr. Mehra discusses the causes and diagnosis of heart failure. The podcast also explores the risk factors for heart failure and what we can do to reduce the risk.
In spite of the urgency in its name, heart failure usually is a long-term health condition that progresses over time. The treatments range from medicines and lifestyle changes to heart pumps and heart transplants.
In this interview with Bill Seiler, Mandeep R. Mehra, M.D., chief of cardiology at the University of Maryland Medical Center and professor of medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, discusses the many treatments for heart failure and the wide range of options available at the University of Maryland Heart Center, as well as research breakthroughs that enable doctors to tailor treatments for individual patients.
Atrial fibrillation is the most common type of abnormal heart rhythm (arrhythmia) in the United States. In this interview with Michelle Murray, Dr. James Gammie, a cardiac surgeon at the University of Maryland Medical Center and an associate professor of surgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, describes new, cutting edge treatments. Listeners will learn about the CryoMaze procedure, which University of Maryland Heart Center surgeons are now using to treat atrial fibrillation.
In this podcast, listeners can learn about various mitral valve disorders
and treatments from Dr. James Gammie, a cardiac surgeon at the University
of Maryland Medical Center and an associate professor of surgery at the
University of Maryland School of Medicine. Dr. Gammie describes a minimally
invasive option to fix the mitral valve known as videoscopic mitral valve
repair and discusses the advantages of repairing the mitral valve rather
than replacing it.
In this interview with Michelle Murray, Dr. Gammie also talks about the
types of patients who would be good candidates for minimally invasive mitral
valve repair.
High blood pressure has earned the name "the silent killer" because it can damage your body before you experience any symptoms. In this interview, Dr. David Stewart, chief of family and community medicine at the University of Maryland Medical Center, covers the basics of high blood pressure including how it is diagnosed and the difference between pre-hypertension and high blood pressure. While it often has no symptoms, high blood pressure can damage the brain, eyes, hearts, kidneys and blood vessel system. In this interview with Sharon Boston, Dr. Stewart also offers tips for preventing high blood pressure. Dr. Stewart is also chairman and associate professor of family and community medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.
More than 50 million Americans have high blood pressure, but there are many treatments available to help these patients. In this interview, Dr. David Stewart, chief of family and community medicine at the University of Maryland Medical Center, discusses different medications and treatments for high blood pressure. Dr. Stewart talks about why patients need to work with their doctors to find the correct dosage and timing of medications. High blood pressure can be challenging to treat because there are often no symptoms.
During this interview with Sharon Boston, Dr. Stewart also talks about the role exercise and diet, including the effects fat and salt. Dr. Stewart is also chairman and associate professor of family and community medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.
Calcium scoring is an imaging test that can assess your risk for a heart attack. In this interview, Dr. Charles White, director of thoracic imaging at the University of Maryland Medical Center, explains that during calcium scoring a CT, also know as CAT, scanner takes multiple pictures of the blood vessels supplying blood to the heart, the coronary arteries, to see if there is any calcium build-up, which could be an early sign of heart disease. During the test, patients have electronic leads placed on their chests to monitor their heart rhythm. People who are good candidates for this test include those who have an increased risk of heart disease because of family history, smoking, diabetes or high blood pressure. Most people get the test before they have symptoms.
In this interview with Sharon Boston, Dr. White discusses some things people can do if the calcium scoring indicates they have a higher risk of heart disease. Dr. White is also professor of diagnostic radiology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.
Advances in imaging and radiology are now helping doctors to diagnose the cause of chest pain more quickly when a patient comes to the emergency room. In this interview, Dr. Charles White, director of thoracic imaging at the University of Maryland Medical Center, explains that advances in technology mean that CT scans, also known as CAT scans, can provide fast and detailed images of the arteries supplying blood the heart. This means doctors can know within minutes whether the patient has narrowing or a blockage in these coronary arteries or if another condition, such as a clot in the lung, may be causing the chest pain. Faster diagnosis means faster treatment for these conditions. The interview also covers how the scanners can compensate for the movement of the beating heart. In this interview with Sharon Boston, Dr. White also discusses new developments in CT technology and how it may improve the evaluation of the chest pain. Dr. White is also professor of diagnostic radiology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.
While we may think that kidney disease and heart disease are separate and unrelated, in reality the two are often connected. Even early or mild kidney disease can increase the risk of heart attacks, heart ailments and heart disease-related death. This podcast explains how the two are connected and why it is important to coordinate the care of both diseases. Among the topics: the role of high blood pressure and cholesterol in the development of kidney disease and how kidney disease is detected when there are no symptoms. In an interview with Bill Seiler, Matthew R. Weir, M.D., head of nephrology at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore, professor of medicine and head of the Division of Nephrology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, also explains how the treatment of certain kidney conditions benefits the cardiovascular system.
Three popular diets, the Atkins, South Beach and Ornish, may all help you take off weight, but which one may put you at higher risk of heart disease after only one month? University of Maryland medical researchers compared the three diets for their impact on cholesterol, their effect on the lining of blood vessels and the presence of inflammation associated with hardening.
The study was led by Michael Miller, M.D., director of preventive cardiology
at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore and associate
professor of medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.
In this interview with Bill Seiler, Dr. Miller describes the study findings
and discusses the connection between fat and the risk of heart disease,
even if you are on a diet.
If you have chest pain or are having a heart attack, you may be a candidate for a cardiac catheterization procedure, in which a thin, flexible tube or catheter is passed into the right or left side of the heart. The procedure is used to diagnose and treat certain types of heart conditions.
In this podcast, David A. Zimrin, M.D., explains how one treatment, angioplasty, opens blocked arteries in the heart and restores normal blood flow and another technique, called stenting, helps keep the arteries open. Speaking with Bill Seiler, he also discusses the expanding use of catheterization techniques to enhance patient care.
|
Email this Page
Print this Page © 2008 University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC). All rights reserved.
UMMC is a member of the University of Maryland Medical System, 22 S. Greene
Street, Baltimore, MD 21201. 1.800.492.5538 TDD: 1.800.735.2258
Physician Referral: 1.800.373.4111
