CANM PROGRAMS

Congestive Heart Failure

Our CHF Program is an education and treatment program at our Tupelo location designed to help patients control their disease. 

As a patient referred to our CHF Program, you are an active participant in your treatment plan. You will learn how to control CHF through:

  • Medication compliance
  • Making dietary changes as needed
  • Making lifestyle changes such as monitoring and tracking your weight on a daily basis

A team of health care professionals will work together to design a treatment plan, specifically designed to fit your needs. A cardiologist will design a comprehensive treatment plan that provides the foundation to keep you as healthy as possible. Advanced practice nurses will monitor your medications and evaluate you through frequent appointments and telephone conversations. Along with the other members of our health care team, they will teach your family and you how to live with CHF and how to identify signs and symptoms that may require attention.

With the right care, heart failure will not stop you from doing the things you enjoy.  Your prognosis or outlook for the future will depend on how well your heart muscle is functioning, your symptoms, and how well you respond to and follow your treatment plan.
  
The CANM CHF Program will provide you with continued follow-up care for as long as it is needed. Our goal is to help you live well with CHF. 
 
For more information about CANM's CHF Program, please call 662-620-6800.

Device

Cardiology Associates of North Mississippi has a Device Program in each of our four clinic locations. We follow more than 1,000 patients with pacemakers and/or implantable defibrillators, (ICD's). Like many electronics, these devices require detailed follow up to assure proper function. CANM accomplishes this follow up via our Device Program, a specialty clinic run by physician-extenders specially trained to provide pacemaker device management. Patients are seen on a routine basis, and their devices are “interrogated,” which provides information about the integrity of the pacing or ICD system. In addition, newer devices have sophisticated diagnostics that can assist in the diagnosis and management of arrhythmias. All of this information can be correlated to the patient's clinical condition, thus offering more data to better tailor the choice of medications, cardiac testing and the possibility of future interventions. In addition to the formal Device Program, CANM offers transtelephonic and remote digital monitoring for pacemaker patients. This allows for more frequent testing of the pacemaker in the comfort of the patient’s home setting. While not a substitute for "in-office" checks, the telephone checks provide important information such as gross pacemaker function and the current battery status. Pacemaker batteries tend to wear down over time, and this "wear" is generally picked up by the transtelephonic checks.

For more information about CANM's Device Program, please call 662-620-6800.

Peripheral Vascular Disease (PVD)

Cardiology Associates of North Mississippi is proud to offer the best available diagnosis, testing, and treatment of peripheral vascular disease - a disease which often affects blood flow to the arms, kidneys, brain, and legs. 
Our program is headed by Mississippi’s only board certified vascular medicine specialist and supported by a team of nurse practitioners, imaging specialists, cardiologists and surgeons – all whom have special interest in the peripheral blood vessels. Our program is divided into two components: diagnosis and follow-up. The staff of CANM can diagnose peripheral vascular disease in a single office visit by checking a patient's ABI (ankle brachial index). To find a patient's ABI, the patient will have his or her blood pressure taken at several places, and the results will then be compared to determine if the patient has peripheral vascular disease. If the patient tests positive, the next step is to take pictures of the problem area. CANM has the most advanced equipment in order to get these images – CTA and Duplex imaging.

We offer a wide selection of treatments to meet the individual needs of our patients. Patients have options including specialized diets, prescription medicine, and surgical intervention. The patients are then followed closely to assess the effectiveness of the chosen treatment plan.

Through excellence in diagnosing, testing, and treating peripheral vascular disease CANM seeks to minimize the harmful effects of this disease.

To schedule an appointment with our Peripheral Vascular Disease Program, call 662-620-6800.

Lipid

Cardiology Associates of North Mississippi operates a Lipid Program in four clinic locations – Tupelo, Columbus, Oxford & Starkville. This is a service for patients with difficult-to-manage dyslipidemia (a disorder of lipoprotein metabolism). If indicated, patients will be given medication appropriate for their particular lipid abnormality with regular follow-up to evaluate the patient's response and tolerance to the medications. Patients will also receive extensive dietary counseling recommendations for other necessary lifestyle changes to achieve goals for lipid values and lessen the patient's risk of heart disease. Advanced laboratory testing is available through the Lipid Program for patients with complex lipid abnormalities.

For more information about CANM's Lipid Program call 662-620-6800.

Anti-Coagulation

Cardiology Associates of North Mississippi has an Anti-Coagulation Program in four clinic locations – Tupelo, Starkville, Oxford, Columbus. Patients who are taking anticoagulant medications ("blood thinners") require close monitoring of lab work in order to be certain that they are receiving the right amount of medication. To assist in closely monitoring these patients, CANM has two specially trained nurses and a doctor of pharmacy who operate the Anticoagulation (Coumadin) Program. This clinic is for patients who are referred for medication management by their family doctors, cardiologists, or surgeons. The staff, under strict guidelines from the physicians, monitors lab work and adjusts the dosage of medication as necessary.

For more information about CANM's Anti-Coagulation Program, please call 662-620-6800.

Atrial Fibrillation

The Atrial Fibrillation Program at Cardiology Associates of North Mississippi is the only one of its kind in Mississippi. This program serves as a comprehensive source for education; medical, ablative (including AV node ablation and pulmonary isolation), and surgical treatments (MAZE); clinical research; and outcome measures for the management of atrial fibrillation (AFib).

Because of the great diversity in patients with AFib and the wide variety of treatment options, a generalized strategy for management is difficult. Within the Atrial Fibrillation Program, we work with a team of Cardiac Electrophysiologists (EP), Cardiac surgeons, Nurse Practitioners, Research Coordinators, and the EP Lab Staff who are dedicated to treatment of this disorder. We believe that the treatment for each patient must be individualized and take into account the severity and frequency of symptoms, risk of thromboembolic events (stroke), overall cardiac function, and other comorbid conditions.

Discover for yourself how we are 100% dedicated to helping you keep the rhythm in your heart and in your life.

For more information about CANM's AFib Program, please call 662-620-6800.

Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HOCM) is an autosomal dominant disorder characterized by unexplained increased muscle thickness of the left ventricle and disorganized cardiac cells and scarring. (see Figure A, below). It is the most common heritable cardiovascular disorder with an estimated prevalence of 1/1000 in the general population.

Although most individuals with HCM do well with appropriate treatment, this condition can be associated with an increased risk for progressive heart failure and sudden death.

An integrative approach is essential for optimal management of patients and families with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, with particular attention to unique features of this disorder. Our multidisciplinary clinic provides: Individualized care plans, genotypic analysis for definitive diagnosis, comprehensive evaluation of affected individuals (cardiac imaging, stress testing, surveillance for heart rhythm disturbances), HOCM family screening, stratification regarding risk for sudden cardiac death, implantable cardioverter defibrillator and pacemaker therapy, alcohol septal ablation or surgical septal myectomy for refractory symptoms, and management of end-stage heart failure, including cardiac transplantation.

For more information about CANM's Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Program, please call 662-620-6800.

Preventative Care

CT CALCIUM SCORE

A Coronary Calcium Scan is a simple test. You’ll lie quietly in the scanner machine for about five minutes while it takes pictures of your heart.

A coronary calcium scan looks for specks of calcium in the walls of the heart arteries. This indicates early heart disease. One of our doctors will study the pictures to see if you are at risk for future heart problems.

Because calcifications are an early sign of heart artery disease, a coronary calcium scan can show whether you are at risk of heart attack before other signs and symptoms occur

ECG (Electrocardiogram)

A quick and painless test that measures the electrical activity of the beating heart. An electrocardiogram provides two useful types of information.

First, by measuring intervals on the ECG, a cardiologist can determine if the electrical activity of your heart is too fast, too slow, normal or irregular.

The second type of information is gleaned by measuring the amount of electrical activity passing through the heart
muscle and enables the cardiologist to determine if parts of your heart might be too large, overworked or scarred.

LIPID PROFILE

The lipid profile can help determine an individual's risk of heart disease. It is recommended that healthy adults with no other risk factors be tested with a fasting lipid panel once every five years. If other risk factors are present, or if previous testing reveals high cholesterol, more frequent testing is recommended.

A conventional profile consists of: Total cholesterol

HDL (high density lipoprotein, the so called "good cholesterol" believed to transport excess cholesterol out of the blood to the liver for disposal
LDL (low density lipoprotein, the so called "bad cholesterol" transports cholesterol from the liver to the tissues and organs
Triglycerides (sugar and fatty acids)

A detailed description of your results will be mailed to you within three to five business days of completing the screening exam.

For further questions and/or to make an appointment, call us at 662.620.6800.

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