PBRMC Heart Health seminar best attended so far

Were you aware that heart problems can present differently in women than they do with men? Did you know that heart disease kills more women than anything else, including cancer? If you were at the Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center Heart Health Seminar on Friday afternoon, you heard all about it.

PBRMC CEO Clyde Wood thanked everyone for coming and shared that the seminar was the best attended one they have had, so far.

The seminar also served as a luncheon and an opportunity for those in attendance to come into contact with good information about heart health, while also meeting and establishing a dialogue with PBRMC physicians.

Poplar Bluff Mayor Shane Cornman presented Wood with a proclamation from the city of Poplar Bluff, recognizing Feb. 7, as “PBRMC Heart Disease Awareness Day.”

Those in attendance were able to hear from an expert panel of medical professionals regarding heart disease and heart health issues, but before that a few former patients spoke up about their positive experiences with PBRMC.

“I went to the doctor’s office here at PBRMC and I just wasn’t feeling good at all,” explained Scott Mangus. “When I met with the doctor that day, he told me I wasn’t leaving the hospital.”

Mangus went on to explain what followed were some more tests and the installation of a pacemaker.

“I’m here to tell you that changed my life for the better,” Mangus exclaimed. “I had a wonderful experience with PBRMC, and I’m so glad I went there.”

The expert heart panel at the seminar consisted of: Leona Bergen, acute care nurse practitioner; Dr. H.K. Reddy, intervention cardiologist; Dr. Michael Lim, interventional cardiologist; Dr. Hector Dox, cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon; Dr. Shazib Sagheer, interventional cardiologist; and Dr. Juan Ruiz Diaz, general cardiologist.

Bergen started the panel discussion by informing the audience of how heart disease can present differently with women than it does with men.

“With women, the pain is typically located in the back and shoulders, or in the jaw,” she explained.

Bergen continued to explain heart disease is the biggest killer of women, and it can start at any point in life. She also explained another common problem women face is heart valve disease.

“That’s why things like this are so important,” she advised. “Because if you don’t take care of you, you can’t take care of your family.”

According to Heart.org, more than half (51%) of respondents in a 2023 Harris Poll survey conducted on behalf of the American Heart Association did not identify heart disease as the leading cause of death in the U.S. According to the 2024 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics: A Report of U.S. and Global Data From the American Heart Association, heart disease has been the leading cause of death in the U.S. for 100 years. Heart disease along with stroke, claimed more lives in 2021 in the U.S. than all forms of cancer and chronic lower respiratory disease combined.

The panel went on to address some other basic heart disease statistics and information. They advised that everyone be conscientious of their heart health and to not hesitate to seek help if a problem is suspected.