HONOLULU - (February 3, 2017) February is American Heart Month and Tripler Army Medical Center, also known as TAMC, is taking major strides to help their patients realize the truth about symptoms of heart failure that many patients simply brush off as signs of 'getting older.'
When a person is diagnosed with heart failure their five-year survival is approximately 50 percent, which is worse than having colon cancer. The cardiology department at TAMC is looking to change that outcome for their patients.
Over 6 million Americans have been diagnosed with heart failure. A person with heart failure will commonly complain of fatigue or shortness of breath and, in some cases, those symptoms can represent something more much serious.
In 2016 they created the TAMC heart failure team, a dedicated team to treat heart failure led by Dr. Kimberly Lochner, chief of the TAMC heart failure team and Dr. Ryan M. Smith, TAMC chief of cardiology services.
The care that the team provides goes well beyond seeing a physician several times per year. They expanded the cardiac rehabilitation program, headed by Maedawn Alagao-Dizon, Cardiac Rehabilitation Specialist, enrolling over 100 new patients.
Realizing the importance of simply informing patients of the risks of heart failure, the cardiac rehab program also incorporated nutrition and psychology classes into the program as well as creating a four-week course in hopes of better educating patients as well as promoting optimal health and patient success.
"The passion that this team shows in the immediate impact on patients," said Smith. "The TAMC heart failure team has enrolled over 400 patients in their clinic in just a short period of time and we have already seen a reduction in 30-day readmissions from 35 to 11 percent. They have also increased seven-day follow-up visits from 11 to 55 percent. This is mostly due to the proper education and awareness of our patients."
When asked about the heart failure team, one patient stated, "I feel like I am part of a family. You can feel the passion they have for their patients and the heart failure team helped give me my life back."
The heart failure team understands that the work has only just begun and they are looking to build on their success in 2017 with plans to expand their current programs and find better ways to educate the community on heart failure.
If you would like more information on heart failure, please contact your primary care manager at 808-433-2778.
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