North Oaks Heart Health Center Hosts Fifth Annual Change of Heart Expo

In observance of February’s American Heart Month, North Oaks Heart Health Center held its fifth annual free “Change of Heart” Expo screening event on Saturday, February 23 from 8 a.m. to 12 noon at the North Oaks Diagnostic Center in Hammond.

Over 178 screenings were completed, informing participants about the risk factors of heart disease and how behavior modifications may help in preventing the development of heart-related health issues. The free event offered three different heart screenings: Heart Risk Assessment with blood pressure and cholesterol check and a personal cardiologist consultation; Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm(AAA) and Peripheral Vascular Disease(PVD). The Heart Risk Assessment results reported six participants found to be at high risk of heart disease and 24 found to be at moderate risk for heart disease. Seven of the PVD screening participants were found to have minimal to moderate claudication, cramp-like pain in the legs due to inadequate blood flow, and 39 were found to have minimal claudication. All 51 participants of the AAA screening reported a visualized aorta with no aneurysm seen. The free screenings were valued up to $200 per participant.

The expo also featured an expanded health fair, heart-healthy cooking demonstrations and physician- led seminars about AAA, diagnosing heart disease and how heart disease can affect your sleep. In a seminar titled Sleep and Heart Disease, North Oaks Sleep Disorders Medical Director, Lauren L. Davis, M.D. shared, “If a person had sleep apnea with more than 15 events an hour, they had three times greater risk in developing hypertension in the following four years. The greater number of sleep apnea events, the greater the risk of developing hypertension.”

Participating cardiologists included Patrick A. Delaney, Jherie D. Ducombs, M.D., Keith G. Hickey, M.D., William P. Kopfler and Claude T. Nesser, M.D. Participating radiologists included John P. Miller, M.D. and Robert Smith, M.D. The physicians were joined by 73 North Oaks employees and volunteers who also gave of their time to make the expo possible. For more information on the North Oaks Heart Health Center, call (985) 230-LIFE (5433).