Heart Health Champions
The region’s top heart experts share their insight on the latest advances in heart care and the best ways to live a heart-healthy lifestyle.
Brought to you by Main Line Health
Nurturing Heart Health for Expecting Mothers
Dr. Gwyneth McNeill, a cardiologist with Main Line Health, talks about navigating the cardiovascular risks of pregnancy and what expectant mothers can do to manage them.
What made you decide to specialize in cardio-obstetrics? I have always been interested in preventative cardiology. When I learned about cardiovascular risk in women experiencing adverse pregnancy outcomes, I realized my desire to provide care for this specific population of women. If we start cardiovascular disease prevention early, we can reduce the risk of heart attacks, congestive heart failure and other cardiac complications.
Brought to you by Prime Healthcare
Heart Health Matters
Drs. Shahzad Ahmed and Mohamad Taha, cardiologists from Prime Healthcare, discuss the exciting advances in cardiac care and why all women need to pay attention to their heart health.
How has cardiac care advanced in recent years? Dr. Shahzad Ahmed: The last few years have been exciting for cardiovascular care. We have a lot of new options and strategies for care and to prevent coronary artery disease that were not available years ago. For example, to manage cholesterol we now have injectable drugs, PCSK9 inhibitors, which we can use to treat cholesterol in someone who is not able to tolerate pills like statins due to muscle aches or other adverse reactions. We also have new tools and technology to treat heart valve disease through less invasive options, such as percutaneous valve replacement, which is done through a catheter that is guided through a blood vessel into the heart.