Healthy hearts and longer lives

As if the candied hearts and ubiquitous use of red and pink aren’t enough of a reminder that February is month of Valentine’s Day, perhaps they serve as a reminder to care for the organ that beats inside one’s chest. The American Heart Association dons February its heart health month.

Cardiovascular disease remains the most common cause of death in the United States. According to the American Heart Association, an estimated 80,000,000 [about 1 in 3] Americans have one or more types of cardiovascular disease.

Conditions inherent in the disease may include: high blood pressure, coronary heart disease (which manifests in chest pain and heart attacks), heart failure, stroke, or congenital heart defects.

According to the National Center for Health Statistics, if all forms of major cardiovascular were to be eliminated, life expectancy would rise by almost seven years.

There are numerous risk factors involved with heart disease, among the most easily treatable is obesity and high blood pressure.

Along with medication, a heart healthy diet and exercise is essential to prevention. In the case, however, that for someone it’s too late to prevent a heart attack, knowing how to perform CPR increases the chances for a patients survival.

In the case of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, according to a recent 2009 update study conducted by American Heart Association Statistics Committee and Stroke Statistics Subcommittee, “If bystander CPR is not provided, a sudden cardiac arrest victim’s chances of survival fall 7% to 10% for every minute of delay until defibrillation.”

Salem Hospital and the Willamette Valley Red Cross offers courses in CPR, infant CPR, and other first aid training. For more information visit www.aha.org or www.redcross-salem.org/classes.htm

Helping medical professionals understand pain

There are a plethora of measures patients and their health care provider can take to manage pain, including a variety of alternative methods. Salem Hospital along with the Chemeketa Center for Business and Industry will host a pain management workshop on February 9, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the college auditorium.

The Oregon Senate passed Bill 885 which requires that nurses and other medical personnel complete six hours of continuing education in pain management. Salem Hospital will serve as the provider for six contact hours and will issue certificates of completion at the conclusion of the training.

An overview of pain, pain assessment, pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches to pain, pain in special populations and addiction versus chronic pain will fill the six hour workshop.

Teresa Keane, RN, MSN, PMHNP, is the presenter for the workshop. Keane is a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner and currently serves on the Oregon Pain Commission.The cost of the workshop is $120 and includes a $10 lunch voucher. The Chemeketa Center for Business and Industry is taking registrations by phone at (503) 399-5181.For more information contact project coordinator Lori McCauley at lmccaul1@chemeketa.edu.