- Wellness, Senior Care, PediatricsGeneral Page Tier 3BlogFrigid temperatures and bone-chilling winds are here. Not only do they cause discomfort, they actually can pose a threat to your health. When your body loses heat faster than it can produce heat, hypothermia occurs. “Hypothermia is characterized by excessive shivering along with a feeling of exhaustion, dizziness or lightheadedness,” says Mike Remoll, MD. How to Stay Warm in Cold Temperatures So what can you do to stay warm in the cold? Dr. Remoll says the key is wearing layers. “You want some space in between each layer as opposed to wearing one thick garment,” he says. Focus on These High-Risk Areas There are three areas you want to be sure to keep warm: the head, the hands and the feet. “You definitely want to keep your head covered and make sure you wear nice warm gloves and nice warm socks,” Dr. Remoll says. He explains that these areas of the body are at highest risk for hypothermia. Children and the elderly are especially at risk. Exercising Outdoors in Cold Weather For people who brave the cold to exercise outside, Dr. Remoll says it’s important to stop exercising once you start to sweat. “The skin becomes much colder when it’s wet,” he explains. “If you can exercise inside in a warm environment, that’s a lot safer.” READ MORE: 6 tips for sledding safety0
- General Page - Tier 2Virtual Urgent Care With CareConnectNow Need care for a minor medical concern today? Now you can connect with a Luminis Health medical provider on your mobile device from anywhere in the state — even the comfort of your home — with Luminis Health CareConnectNow. CareConnectNow offers trusted, easy-access medical care for things like: COVID screenings. Cough, cold or sore throat. Fever or flu. Seasonal allergies. Eye problems, such as pink eye. Nausea, vomiting or diarrhea. Headaches or migraines. Sinus problems. Vertigo. Acid reflux. Skin rashes and infections. Insect bites or poison ivy. Constipation. Shingles. Urinary tract infections (UTIs). CareConnectNow is available for ages 13 and up on weekdays from 8 am–9 pm and weekends from 9 am–4 pm. You must be in Maryland at the time of service. Schedule a virtual visit now or call us on your smartphone at 443-951-4270. Seek Emergency Care When Needed Don't use CareConnectNow if you're experiencing: Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath Chest pain or discomfort Dizziness, confusion, severe or persistent vomiting If you are having a medical emergency, call 911 or visit your nearest emergency room.0
- Men's Health, Women's Health, Heart Care, Patient StoriesGeneral Page Tier 3BlogChuck Raines and his wife Trang have run six marathons together since 2011. They don’t smoke, avoid junk food and stay active with their kids. A heart attack was the last thing on the healthy 53-year-old’s mind. But he found out that it can happen to anybody. After an easy run on a Sunday afternoon in August, Chuck noticed chest pain. “I sat down and took a break, and then I didn’t think much of it,” he says. The next morning, the chest pain returned. This time it was worse. The retired Army master sergeant was no stranger to pushing through pain. “Being the person I am, I said, ‘It’s just going to go away.’” Instead, the pain began radiating down his arm and into his jaw. He began sweating and feeling nauseated. He called Trang and said, “I think I need to go to the doctor when you get home.” But she insisted on dialing 911. “Never in a million years did I think a heart attack would happen to me,” says Chuck. “I was in so much denial when it happened, even though the symptoms were right there in my face.” A Critical Process When Trang called 911, she set in motion a chain of events that were critical to saving Chuck’s life. An ambulance equipped with an electrocardiogram (EKG) monitor rushed to Chuck’s home in Owings. On the way to Anne Arundel Medical Center, technicians sent real-time EKG results to the emergency room (ER). Chuck Raines enjoys a run. “We have a digital network that transmits from the ambulance to a central station in the emergency room,” says Jonathan Altschuler, MD, medical director of AAMC’s cardiac catheterization lab. “A doctor looks at it, and a decision is made to activate the cardiac catheterization team. Often our team gets there before the patient does.” When Chuck arrived at the ER, Elizabeth Reineck, MD, an interventional cardiologist, met him at the door and whisked him to the cardiac catheterization lab. “The artery supplying blood to the back of the heart was completely blocked,” says Dr. Reineck. “We opened the artery with a balloon and then stabilized it with a stent.” The team completed the procedure 65 minutes after Chuck arrived at the ER. This period of time, called “door-to-balloon time,” is a critical measure of cardiac care. AAMC’s average door-to-balloon time is well below the national standard of 90 minutes. “In our business, time is heart muscle,” says Dr. Reineck. “By opening the artery quickly, we minimize heart damage.” AAMC's Door-to-Balloon Time Door-to-balloon time is critical in successfully treating heart attack patients. Read more about how important reducing door-to-balloon time is at AAMC. An Innovative Approach Dr. Reineck used a new approach to cardiac catheterization, reaching Chuck’s heart through the radial artery in his wrist. Nationally, radial access is used in about 25 percent of stenting procedures and in fewer than 10 percent of patients with emergency heart attacks. “Radial catheterization has fewer vascular complications and less bleeding,” says Dr. Reineck. “For the patient, this means an easier recovery than the traditional route through the femoral artery in the groin.” “When Chuck left the hospital, his heart function was normal,” says Dr. Reineck. “This was the best case scenario. Chuck acted fast in seeking medical attention, emergency medical technicians sent information from the field and our cath lab team quickly re-opened the culprit artery. By working together, we prevented damage to Chuck’s heart, giving him the best possible outcome.” Chuck returned home after a week in the hospital. He enjoys swimming with his kids again. He’s back to work as an analyst for the federal government. And his doctors recently gave him the okay to resume running. Chuck and Trang are registered for the Big Sur Marathon in California this spring. “I’m a firm believer that I’m going to be out there running in April,” he says. When he does, it will be lucky number seven. Web Exclusive: Life After a Heart Attack Chuck, like many patients, experienced feelings of depression as he recovered from his heart attack. Read more about how he overcame these feelings and got his life back on track. Are you at risk? Learn your heart age and risk for heart disease with our free online heart health profiler. Contributors Jonathan Altschuler, MD, is an interventional cardiologist and medical director of the Cardiac Catheterization Lab at Anne Arundel Medical Center. Elizabeth Reineck, MD, is an interventional cardiologist at Anne Arundel Medical Center.0
- News & Press Releases, Infectious DiseaseGeneral Page Tier 3BlogLuminis Health Anne Arundel Medical Center (LHAAMC) and Luminis Health Doctors Community Medical Center (LHDCMC) have opened their doors to limited patient visitation. The guidelines allow one to two visitors, based on patient situation, to be present during visitor hours throughout the patient’s stay. Visitor hours for LHAAMC are 12 pm to 8 pm. Visitor hours for LHDCMC are 8 am to 8 pm. Clergy of any denomination may visit a patient at any time and does not count in visitation totals. “Caring for and protecting our patients, families, employees, and the community during this pandemic has been our top priority,” said Victoria Bayless, chief executive officer for Luminis Health. “We recognize this past year has been difficult for patients and their loved ones. The new procedures will bring much needed support to our patients, while keeping everyone safe. We thank everyone for their patience and ask them to remain vigilant.” Visitors will be screened upon entry to the hospital and expected to follow these guidelines: They will be required to wear an appropriate mask at all times while in the hospital (even if vaccinated); Must maintain social distancing from all others; And wash or sanitize their hands throughout their visit. As a patient and family-centered organization, Luminis Health will continue to review and update our visitation guidelines and practices as the situation changes. View the latest guidelines for LHAAMC here and LHDCMC here.0
- What to Expect?Your health care team tells you how to prepare ahead of time and what to expect afterward. Cardiac catheterization with angiography is a minimally invasive procedure. That means your surgeon makes a cut to insert the catheter, but it's very small and heals quickly.You'll get medicine to make you sleepy when we start the test, and you won't feel any pain. Your surgeon makes a small incision in your groin or arm where we insert the catheter.We thread it through your blood vessels until it reaches the arteries in your heart. Next, we inject contrast dye into the catheter and take x-rays as the dye moves through your blood vessels.The angiogram takes about an hour, but it might take longer if your surgeon performs other procedures to open blocked arteries. After the test, you go to the recovery room. You might go home the same day, or we may keep you overnight.ScreeningConditions/Services/Treatments PageCardiac imaging tests allow your doctor to get a clear picture of your heart and blood vessels. This allows us to see how your heart is working.Our heart specialists use the most advanced cardiac imaging technology to monitor, diagnose, and treat you. Here's an overview of a common cardiac imaging test.Angiography and Cardiac CatheterizationAngiography (or cardiac angiogram) is a type of x-ray. It allows your doctor to look at your heart's blood vessels with the help of a special dye that highlights your blood vessels. The dye shows if there are any blockages that can restrict blood flow to your heart.Angiography is done during cardiac catheterization. That's when your doctor places a thin tube called a catheter into your blood vessel. We inject the dye into the catheter so we can get a better picture of your blood vessels on the x-ray.Once the cardiac catheter is in place, your surgeon can also do various procedures to open blocked arteries.Who gets angiography?We might recommend angiography if we think you have plaque buildup in an artery. It also helps us diagnose problems with your blood vessels or heart valves.0
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