Atrial fibrillation, or AFib, happens when the upper chambers of the heart (the atria) beat irregularly instead of beating effectively to move blood into the ventricles. This irregular heartbeat, or arrhythmia, can lead to blood clots, stroke, heart failure and other heart-related complications. What are the surgical treatments for AFib? The two most common surgical treatments for [...]
Smartwatches can track everything from steps taken to sleep habits, and now they may even be able to detect a dangerous heart condition. A recent study from the Cleveland Clinic suggests that smartwatches (specifically the Apple Watch 4) were able to identify instances of atrial fibrillation (AFib), or an irregular heartbeat/arrhythmia. The research was conducted [...]
Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgeons’ Dr. Hunter Kirkland was recently featured in a story on KEYE-TV alongside his heart transplant patient Lemeul Bradshaw. Dr. Kirkland is one of our board-certified cardiothoracic surgeons specializing in heart transplantation. Transplant patients are unique in that they live most days of their life -- current Covid-19 crisis or not -- [...]
Bastrop resident Fulton Smith says he’s lucky to be alive. He credits Dr. David Kessler and Dr. Mazin Foteh for their quick thinking, innovative treatments and for respecting his religious beliefs to not have a blood transfusion during his emergency procedures. Fulton initially suffered a cardiac arrest and it was later discovered that the culprit [...]
