Reducing cardiovascular risk: getting Alaskans heart healthy.

• Author: Turnage, Neal Webster
• Position: HEALTH & MEDICINE

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In a state with a reputation for vigorous people who lead active outdoor lifestyles, results from the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services report, "The Burden of Heart Disease and Stroke in Alaska: Mortality, Morbidity, and Risk Factors, December 2009 Update" came as a surprise to some.

"More Alaskans die of heart disease and stroke combined than any other cause. Of the approximately 3,500 Alaskans who died in 2007, 766 died from either heart disease or stroke," began the chapter on mortality. It was a wake-up call to many of the state's leading health institutions that heart health was in serious condition.

"Alaska's currently high level of population risk poses a significant challenge for public health to keep ahead of the curve and reduce the state's heart disease and stroke burden into the future," continued the report. State health officials and medical personnel didn't take the news lightly. All would argue that it would be foolish to think the challenges concomitant to cardiovascular care in Alaska can or will ever be completely eradicated. However, all are acutely aware that even the smallest of steps toward better heart health can have significant impact.

Since the DHSS report was released more than a year ago, significant improvement has been made in the field of heart health. Large public-sector health providers have equipped themselves with the latest technology and added renowned cardio specialists to their staffs. In some cases, changes to preventative and post-op care have been made, including more cardiac rehabilitation, which, at the time of the report, "less than one-third of the approximately 15,000 Alaskans who reported having had a heart attack said they were referred to cardiac rehabilitation."

Another significant challenge for well-rounded cardiovascular care in Alaska is how best to provide for the 40 percent of the population living in communities with less than 10,000 residents; and on a macro level, maintaining cardio protocols on par with other states in the country.

MORE CATH LABS, BETTER TECHNOLOGY

"Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage (PAMC), has gone from four cath labs to six," says Bob Hughes, director of the Providence's Heart and Vascular Center. "And we've tremendously advanced our care of arrhythamia. We have one of the top electrocardiologists in the country here who performs coronary oblations on arrhythmias."

Providence recently added...