February 2 ~ 15, 2011 the Resident 860.599.1221 www.theresident.com residentHealth Y


Yale-New Haven’s New Treatment for Abnormal Heart Rhythms


ale-New Haven Hospital’s cardiac electrophysiology and arrhythmia service is the


fi rst in CT to offer a novel non-surgical approach to treat a life-threatening heart rhythm disorder called ventricular tachycardia. Ventricular tachycardia, also known as VT or V-TACH, is an abnormal fast heart rate that originates from the heart’s lower chambers and is a major cause of cardiac arrest and sudden death.


The procedure, called epicardial


VT ablation, targets the origins of the abnormal rhythm on the outer surface of the heart without the need for extensive surgery. Using a small needle puncture, a catheter is advanced be- neath the rib cage onto the outer surface of the heart where regions of abnormal electrical activity are eliminated using radiofrequency energy emitted from the catheter tip. Any alternative approaches to reaching those abnormal regions of


the heart would require more extensive open chest surgery. Yale-New Haven Hospital is the only medical center in Connecticut to offer this procedure. This novel treatment was recently used on a 55-year-old CT man with a long history of VT. Since the epicardial ablation, his heart rhythm has returned to normal. “Ventricular tachycardia is a very dangerous rhythm that can result in multiple painful defibrillator shocks, passing out or even death,” said Joseph Akar, MD, PhD, director, Complex Ablation Program at YNHH. “It is often resistant to medications. When this arrhythmia originates from the epi- cardium - the outer surface of the heart - epicardial VT ablation is the most effective minimally invasive method of treatment. Any other modality would require more extensive surgery and lower success rates.” The Yale-New Haven Hospital


he Lawrence & Memorial Hospital Auxiliary will kick off Valentine’s Day weekend with its second annual


Enjoy refreshments, a Chinese


Advance purchase tickets are $25 per person and $30 at the door. Tables of 10 can be reserved. Proceeds benefi t a program for Heart Awareness and the Lawrence & Memorial Centennial Campaign.


For tickets or further information, call


Brenda Kramer, 860.447.3662; Kathy Nahas, 860.442.8566; or Rose Cawley, 860.443.2609. To post your comments, visit


Electronic Health Records A


www.theresident.com


ccording to survey data released by the Offi ce of the National Coordinator


for Health Information Technology (ONC), four-fi fths of the nation’s hospitals, and 41-percent of offi ce- based physicians, currently intend to take advantage of federal incentive payments for adoption and meaning- ful use of certifi ed electronic health records (EHR) technology.


The


survey information was released as the registration period opened for the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs. David Blumenthal, M.D.,


M.P.P., National Coordinator, Health Information Technology, said the survey numbers represent a reversal of the low interest in EHR adoption in previous years. He credited leadership from the medical community and the


David Blumenthal, M.D., M.P.P. National Coordinator Health Information Technology


federal government for the improved prospects for adoption and use of health information technology (health IT). “For years we have known that electronic health records would im- prove care for patients and bring about


(l-r) Bill and Brenda Kramer, Auxiliary President; Pat Romano, Auxiliary Past-President; and Steven Crowley, had a wonderful time at L&M Auxiliary’s Valentine Dance and Auction.


greater cost effectiveness in our health sector, yet adoption rates by health care providers remained low,” Dr. Blumenthal said. “In 2009, Congress and the President authorized major new federal support for EHR adoption and use, and in combination with medi- cal professional and hospital leadership, I believe we are seeing the tide turn toward widespread and accelerating adoption and use of health IT.” The data released comes from surveys commissioned by ONC and carried out in the course of regular annual surveillance by the American Hospital Association (AHA) and the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), an agency of HHS’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). To post your comments, visit


www.theresident.com


www.theresident.com Tide Chart February 2-15


LOW TIDE HIGH TIDE DAY TIME HEIGHT TIME HEIGHT TIME HEIGHT TIME HEIGHT


2 2:36 AM -0.02 L 8:44 AM 2.74 H 3:11 PM -0.17 L 9:10 PM 2.34 H 3 3:21 AM -0.03 L 9:22 AM 2.68 H 3:51 PM -0.16 L 9:47 PM 2.42 H 4 4:05 AM -0.01 L 9:59 AM 2.59 H 4:30 PM -0.13 L 10:25 PM 2.47 H 5 4:49 AM 0.04 L 10:36 AM 2.49 H 5:10 PM -0.08 L 11:03 PM 2.5 H 6 5:34 AM 0.12 L 11:14 AM 2.37 H 5:50 PM 0.02 L 11:42 PM 2.49 H 7 6:20 AM 0.21 L 11:53 AM 2.23 H 6:33 PM 0.13 L 8 12:23 AM 2.46 H 7:09 AM 0.3 L 12:34 PM 2.08 H 7:17 PM 0.26 L 9 1:07 AM 2.42 H 8:02 AM 0.37 L 1:21 PM 1.94 H 8:05 PM 0.39 L 10 1:54 AM 2.4 H 8:56 AM 0.39 L 2:15 PM 1.82 H 8:56 PM 0.47 L 11 2:46 AM 2.4 H 9:53 AM 0.37 L 3:16 PM 1.76 H 9:50 PM 0.5 L 12 3:42 AM 2.46 H 10:47 AM 0.28 L 4:19 PM 1.78 H 10:45 PM 0.45 L 13 4:39 AM 2.57 H 11:39 AM 0.14 L 5:18 PM 1.9 H 11:38 PM 0.33 L 14 5:34 AM 2.72 H 12:28 PM -0.04 L 6:11 PM 2.09 H 15 12:30 AM 0.14 L 6:27 AM 2.88 H 1:15 PM -0.22 L 7:01 PM 2.33 H


More tide predictions are available at http://co-ops.nos.noaa.gov/tides07/tab2ec2a.html Tides noted are for the Stonington area of Fishers Island Sound. All times are listed in Local Standard Time(LST) or, Local Daylight Time (LDT) (when applicable). All heights are in feet referenced to Mean Lower Low Water (MLLW).


860.388.1654


Dr. Chris Connaughty, D.C. 142 Boston Post Road, Old Saybrook www.connaughty.com


resident in biz


Local busi ness es find “Res i dent In Busi ness” an ef fec tive way to ad ver tise. By tell ing the com mu ni ty about yourself, you will at tract loy al cus tom ers. Res i dents prefer to shop and ob tain ser vic es in a friend ly en vi ron ment. Add your smile to the Resident in Business. 860.599.1221.


Connaughty Chiropractic Center


Heart and Vascular Center is a national pioneer in developing new heart treatments and therapies. As CT’s premier referral center, the Center receives some of the most difficult heart patients from throughout New England - patients who come for heart transplants, high-risk valve or bypass surgery and angioplasty, as well as those who have irregular heart rhythms requiring an expert cardiologist. To post your comments, visit


www.theresident.com


L&M Auxiliary’s Valentine Dance T


Valentine Dance and Auction at the Port ‘N Starboard Room, Ocean Beach Park, New London, on February 12, from 6:30 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.


Auction, a Silent Auction, and dancing to the music of The Cartells.


Unable to speak and partially paralyzed by a stroke at age 16, Dr. Chris Connaughty worked his way back to health through intensive speech and physical therapy and six months of chiroprac- tic care. He then decided to make chiropractic health care his career. After completing under- graduate training at St. John’s University and the University of Minnesota, Dr. Connaughty received a Doctor of Chiropractic degree from the Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa.


In 1987, he founded the Connaughty Chiropractic Center in Old Saybrook. Today, he is a member of the Connecticut Chiropractic Association and the American Chiropractic Association. To provide his patients with the most up-to-date care possible, Dr Connaughty frequently attends post-graduate seminars and has earned an advanced degree in Industrial and Occupational Health. He also does ergonomic consulting for business and industry. Dr. Connaughty was fi rst introduced to the Active Release Technique


Dr. Chris Connaughty


(A.R.T.) at the Ironman Triathlon World Championships in Kona, Hawaii in 2006 where he was invited to work as a chiropractor. He has since received A.R.T. certifi cation and is very excited about the treatment results he is getting with athletes and non-athletes alike. Dr. Connaughty lives in Niantic with his wife, Lynn, who is also a


chiropractor, and their four children Austin, Daniel, Spencer, Abigail, two dogs, a cat and 50 chickens.


Safe, Natural, Effective, Chiropractic Care


In-house X-Rays • Massage Therapy • Active Release Technique Most Insurance Plans Accepted


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