UM Shore Regional Health cardiologist speaks to Easton Utilities – The Star Democrat

EASTON Easton Utilities welcomed Dr. Jeffrey Etherton, medical director, Interventional Cardiology, University of Maryland Shore Regional Health, to speak during a recent lunchtime wellness program. More than 60 members of Easton Utilities team registered for the program.

As part of the Easton Utilities wellness program, various seminars are offered once or more a month, with topics ranging from physical wellness to financial health and everything in between.

Vicki L. Petro, director of human resources at Easton Utilities, said, Healthy employees are happy employees, and that results in satisfied customers.

In recognition of February as American Heart Month, Etherton discussed how to modify your lifestyle to combat cardiac risk factors; how to incorporate a heart-healthy diet into your life; the importance of quitting smoking to heart health; the benefits of exercise and movement to the heart; the developments in cardiovascular care at U.M. Shore Regional Health; and the future initiatives in cardiovascular care for the five-county region UM SRH serves.

Etherton said cardiovascular disease is the No. 1 cause of death in the United States.

One in four people in the United States will die from cardiovascular disease, Etherton said. Thats about 600,000 people a year.

Taking care of your heart by following heart-healthy guidelines, such as diet, exercise and quitting smoking, will help your heart to get or stay healthy, longer, he said.

However, if you suffer a STEMI heart attack (ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction), U.M. Shore Regional Health has three cardiac interventionalists at U.M. Shore Medical Center at Easton that work with a team of nurses and technologists quickly to perform emergent percutaneous coronary intervention. PCI is a minimally invasive procedure using a catheter to place a stent that opens up blood vessels in the heart that have been narrowed by plaque buildup.

Etherton said studies have shown if you suffer this type of severe heart attack and are able to undergo the PCI procedure, you are twice as likely to survive.

And if its done within 60 minutes, you have a six times greater chance of survival, Etherton said. And that is why MIEMSS (the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems) and U.M. Shore Regional Health thought it was important to have that program here thats the Golden Hour. If you can get help before then, the survival rate is incredible.

The national target time for patients entering a facility and having blood flow restored to their heart, or Door to Balloon time, is 90 minutes. U.M. Shore Regional Healths cardiologists and Cardiac Intervention team does much better, achieving Door to Balloon times of under 60 minutes more than 98% of the time.

When the CIC opened in 2018, Etherton said, the initial state demographic information suggested the CIC would provide care to about 50 patients a year. During 2018, the CIC treated 238 patients, and in 2019, 219 patients.

It wasnt a fluke, there is a real need for these services in this area, Etherton said. Just yesterday, we did eight PCI procedures. Four of these patients were 50 years old or younger.

Easton Utilities wellness sessions have focused on many aspects of wellness, including nutrition, the Medical Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment planning, eye health, the benefits of volunteering and stress management.

Etherton is one of 11 U.M. Shore Medical Group-Cardiology providers affiliated with the Heart and Vascular Center at U.M. Shore Regional Health. The center includes the CIC at U.M. Shore Medical Center at Easton, UM SMG-Cardiology offices in all five counties, cardiovascular diagnostics, and the Vascular Labs and Centers for Cardiopulmonary Fitness and Wellness at U.M. Shore Medical Centers at Chestertown, Dorchester and Easton.

For more information about Cardiovascular Services at UM SRH, call U.M. Shore Medical Group-Cardiology at 410-822-5571 or visit umshoreregional.org/cardiology. For more information about Easton Utilities wellness program, call Petro at 410-822-6110.

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UM Shore Regional Health cardiologist speaks to Easton Utilities - The Star Democrat