The Cardiovascular Institute of Northwest Florida is pleased to share that Panama City News Herald readers have once again selected us as the Best of Bay 2022 – Cardiology Clinics. This makes six years in a row!

We were also voted Best Vascular / Vein Clinic. Thank you to our patients, employees, and friends for your continued support! We will strive to always provide the top-quality care and customer service you’ve come to expect.

The post 2022 Best of Bay for Cardiology first appeared on Cardiovascular Institute.

Did You Know?
Sometimes the first symptom of Atrial Fibrillation (AFib) a patient experiences is a stroke or mini-stroke. Symptoms of AFib commonly include a racing, pounding heart rate, palpitations, light-headedness, shortness of breath, or in some patients, there are no noticeable symptoms at all.

How Does AFib Increase Stroke Risk?
When the heart is in AFib, the atria do not contract in a strong, rhythmic way which allows blood to pool in the atria and blood clots to form. When the clot is pumped out of the heart it can travel to the brain and block blood flow. Patients with AFib have a 5X greater risk of stroke.

How is AFib Diagnosed?
A standard EKG during a check-up may catch the irregular rhythm or perhaps a smartwatch. However, for those who report symptoms or have suffered a TIA or stroke with no known cause, a holter monitor can be ordered to potentially catch and record the AFib in action. Irregular heart rhythms can be intermittent and a 24 or 48-hour holter may be inconclusive. An implanted loop recorder, Reveal LINQ, can be placed and wirelessly monitor heart rhythms for up to three years. The LINQ is a third the size of a AAA battery allowing patients to go about their lives and CVI cardiologists to see when and how often an irregular rhythm occurs. LINQ implantation and removal is a simple office-based procedure under local anesthetic.

Treating AFib
Patients with AFib will likely receive blood thinners to reduce the risk of blood clots and stroke. Lifestyle changes may be recommended, such as regular exercise, weight control, and reduced alcohol consumption. Medications to keep the heart rate or rhythm under control are usually prescribed. However, these are not without side effects. Patients experiencing continuous AFib may have a cardioversion to shock the heart back into normal rhythm. Those with recurrent AFib may be candidates for a catheter ablation procedure to stop the irregular rhythm before it starts. For patients who are unable to tolerate blood thinners due to an increased risk of bleeding, the WATCHMAN is a minimally invasive catheter procedure that stops most clots from forming in the atria.

All of our cardiologists at the Cardiovascular Institute see patients with Atrial Fibrillation however only Cardiac Electrophysiologists can offer catheter ablation procedures to treat this common arrhythmia. Doctors Nghia Hoang, DO and Saeed Khaja, DO perform ablations at Ascension Sacred Heart Bay in Panama City, Florida.

To learn more, please see these local media stories with our physicians:

Dr. Hoang on WJHG

Dr. Khaja on WJHG

The post Atrial Fibrillation Awareness first appeared on Cardiovascular Institute.

The post New Procedure Reduces Risk of Stroke for Patients with Atrial Fibrillation first appeared on Cardiovascular Institute.

Cardiovascular Institute is pleased to welcome Dr. Ajay Mhatre to our practice. Dr. Mhatre is board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in Interventional Cardiology, Cardiovascular Diseases and Internal Medicine.
He holds additional certifications in Vascular and Endovascular Medicine and is a Registered Physician in Vascular Interpretation. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology from the University of Florida and his medical degree at Florida State University. He completed residency and his Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship at University of Florida and continued his training in Interventional Cardiology at the University of Arkansas. He completed an Advanced Coronary & Endovascular Intervention Fellowship at Phoenix Heart Center in Arizona.

Dr. Mhatre is seeing patients with general cardiology needs as well as providing interventional care for those with coronary artery disease and peripheral vascular disease. He also specializes in limb salvage and has expertise with lower extremity wound care. He has privileges at both Bay Medical Sacred Heart and Gulf Coast Regional Medical Center.

Dr. Mhatre has been practicing in the Phoenix area, but is originally from Lake City, Florida. He and his wife are already very familiar with Panama City and are happy to be back in Florida and closer to family. In his spare time, he enjoys exercising, fishing, college football and spending time with his wife and three children.

The post Welcome Interventional Cardiologist Dr. Ajay Mhatre first appeared on Cardiovascular Institute.

The post What is Sudden Cardiac Arrest? first appeared on Cardiovascular Institute.

Cardiovascular Institute is pleased to welcome Cardiac Electrophysiologist Dr. Saeed Khaja to Panama City. Dr. Khaja has recently completed his fellowship training in Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology at the University of Illinois in Chicago. He attended medical school at Midwestern University Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine followed by residency and cardiovascular fellowship training at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital. Aside from cardiology, he also has critical care experience working at some of the busiest intensive care units in the City of Chicago.

Dr. Khaja also has other professional experiences outside of medicine which include an MBA from Roosevelt University and being a Firefighter and Paramedic. Dr. Khaja is board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in Internal Medicine and Cardiology. Dr. Khaja is seeing patients with general cardiology needs in addition to providing management and treatment of complex cardiac arrhythmias. He is looking forward to bringing to our community the newest treatments and cutting-edge therapies in the field of cardiac electrophysiology.

Dr. Khaja, his wife and two young sons fell in love with the Panama City area at first sight and are excited to call this city their new home. We are very pleased to have Dr. Khaja on our team.

The post Welcome Electrophysiologist Dr. Khaja first appeared on Cardiovascular Institute.

First, if you are sick or have been exposed to a person with flu like symptoms within the last two weeks, please stay home and reschedule your visit.  If you have have traveled from areas that are experiencing an outbreak within the last two weeks, please reschedule your visit and self quarantine per CDC guidelines. If you have a smart phone or a computer with a web cam and microphone, you may be eligible to simply change your appointment to a video visit.  Ask our receptionist about TeleVisits.

When visiting our office for an appointment or test, masks are required to protect the health of our patients and staff. Please practice social distancing from other patients and ask any guests that are with you to wait in the car so there is plenty of room for other patients. We will be screening patients at the door and taking temperatures. We will not be able to allow guests in the exam room with you except for truly exceptional circumstances.  Don’t forget to cover any coughs or sneezes with your elbow, upper arm or a tissue.  Avoid touching your face if possible and wash your hands with soap often.

Our staff will frequently sanitize office surfaces and work diligently to maintain a clean, healthy space for your cardiovascular care. Please help us help you by respecting the current CDC guidelines to prevent spreading contagious illness.

The post Important COVID-19 Notice Before Your Next Appointment first appeared on Cardiovascular Institute.

Established patients with Cardiovascular Institute can now request video appointments in lieu of in-office visits during this time of social distancing to prevent spreading illness.  All you need is an email address and a smart phone, tablet, or a laptop/computer with a web camera and microphone and you can visit your cardiologist from the comforts of home.

Step 1:   To schedule your “TeleVisit” or to change an already scheduled appointment to a TeleVisit, please call our office at (850)769-0329.  If you do not already have an email on file with us, you will need to provide one in order to have your account web enabled.

Step 2:  You will receive an email with instructions on how to access our patient portal and information about the Healow app for your smart phone.   If your account was already web enabled, simply download the Healow app from your phone’s app store or log in from your computer at https://health.healow.com/CVINWF    Your user name is the email you provided.  Set up your account or if you’ve logged in previously and do not remember your password, click on “forgot password” to request a password reset to be sent to your email.

Step 3: When it’s time for your appointment, log-in to the app on your phone or to the website from your computer and click “Start TeleVisit”.  If you have a home blood pressure monitor, please take your BP readings prior to your visit, you will be able to enter your numbers or any other vital signs such as temperature.  Keep in mind that just like any other appointment, there are patients being seen both in office and on screen ahead of you that may cause a delay.  However your provider will receive notifications  that you are ready for your appointment and will join you on your screen as soon as possible.

Need more details?  Never fear.  Below are detailed  instructions on exactly how to set up your account through the Healow app or through the website and how to activate your visit.  We’re excited to launch this new tool to help our patients.  We know that it’s new to you and it is new to us too, so we ask for your patience and understanding as we begin offering this new service.

PATIENT PORTAL ACCESS INSTRUCTIONS & TELEVISIT APPOINTMENT INSTRUCTIONS

Below are instructions for accessing the patient portal on your computer and also instructions for accessing it on your phone.  Please keep in mind these are first time set up instructions and all of these steps will not have to be performed each time, only for the initial set up.

Iphone or Android Access:

1. You will need to download the Healow app from the app store on your smartphone.
2. Once the app is downloaded you will need to log in with your user name and password. The username will be the email address.
3. If you do not know you password, select “forgot password” and a link will be sent to the email address on file for you to reset this.
4. Once you have successfully logged in, you will select “Find My Doctor”. It will give you the option to search by physician or practice.  Please select search by practice and put in Cardiovascular Institute and also Panama City for the city.
5. Select Cardiovascular Institute at the top.
6. You will have to agree to the terms and agreements.
7. You will also have to allow microphone and camera access for TeleVisit appointments.
8. It will ask you to verify your cell phone number so that it can send you a verification code.
9. Once you have completed all of this (which is a one time set up), you should be at the dashboard. Once you are at the dashboard for the Healow app, you will see a wheel with options.  The appointment option will be at the top.  To see your appointments that you have, select appointment.
10. Select the appropriate TeleVisit appointment and then select “Start TeleVisit” at the bottom.
11. It will ask you for your vitals next so if you were able to check those at home, please enter them here. Once you are done select “submit vitals”.
12. Next select “Start TeleVisit”. This will let the provider know that you are signed in, vitals entered and that you are ready for your visit.

Computer access for patient portal:  If your computer is equipped with a microphone and a camera, you may use a computer to access the patient portal for your TeleVisit:

1. Use the following link to access our patient portal: https://health.healow.com/CVINWF
2. Use your email address for the log in name and then enter your password.
3. If you cannot log in, you can click on “trouble logging in” and it will give you options if you have forgotten your user name or password.
4. Once you are logged in, you will be at the dashboard and be able to see your TeleVisit appointments.
5. Select “Join TeleVisit”
6. Accept user agreement
7. Download the plug-in
8. Click on Run
9. Click on the refresh browser button
10. It will run a compatibility test to make sure it detects your camera and microphone
11. It will give you the option to enter your vital signs.
12. You will now be able to click on “Start TeleVisit” and it will let the provider know you are signed in and ready.

The post Now Offering Video Visits Through Your Smart Phone or Laptop first appeared on Cardiovascular Institute.

The post New Treatment for Atrial Fibrillation Now Available at Bay Med first appeared on Cardiovascular Institute.

Dr. Hoang comes to us from Lehigh Valley Hospital in Pennsylvania where he also served as Assistant Professor of Medicine with the University of South Florida at the Pennsylvania branch campus of their medical school. Dr. Hoang brings a wealth of experience in cardiac ablation for atrial fibrillation and ventricular arrhythmia and the latest in cardiac rhythm device technology. In addition, he received 5-star ratings from his many patients in Pennsylvania. Dr. Hoang enjoys spending any free time with his wife and two children and the whole family is looking forward to warmer winters, the coastal lifestyle, and getting to know their new community.

The post CVI Welcomes Dr. Nghia Hoang, Electrophysiologist first appeared on Cardiovascular Institute.