Deb Cordes

Some Heart Healthy Tips:

• Stop smoking
• Keep your weight in normal limits
• Exercise-check with doctor before starting any exercise plan
• Keep your blood pressure within normal range
• Keep your cholesterol in normal range
• Keep your blood sugar in normal range
• Reduce stress or learn how to handle stressful

Phone availability may vary from hospital to hospital. Many times the phone is located in the waiting room for families who have loved ones in the ICU. The best way to ensure that you can keep updated on your family in ICU is to talk with the nurse caring for your family member. Ask the nurse if

Lifestyle changes that should be made in order to maintain a healthy heart:

• Stop smoking
• Eat a balanced diet
• If you are overweight reduce your weight
• Become active, check with your healthcare provider to see what level of activity is right for you
• If you have high blood pressure, check with your

If you are experiencing severe problems with your breathing your doctor may place an endotracheal tube to assist in your breathing. The endotracheal tube is a hard plastic tube that is inserted into either the nose or mouth and guided into the trachea. By placing this tube into the trachea it allows

A do-not-resuscitate (DNR) order is an order that is obtained when you are in the hospital and you do not want to be resuscitated if your heart stops or you stop breathing. When you are admitted to the hospital the nurse admitting you may ask you specific questions about what you would like done

Hospital emergency departments are often overcrowded because many people go to the emergency room for non-emergent health reasons. It is the responsibility of the hospital to ensure an accurate assessment of each person that comes to the emergency room. Because of this responsibility to ensure each

Things that might affect home blood pressure monitoring are:

• Your blood pressure may be elevated if you have just exercised.
• Your blood pressure may be elevated if you have just smoked cigarettes.
• You may have false readings if you apply the blood pressure cuff too tightly or too

An electrocardiogram is a noninvasive heart test. The test itself will not cause any pain or discomfort. In order to conduct the tests "electrodes" small adhesive discs will be placed on your chest, arms and legs. The "electrodes" have to adhere to the skin in order to have an accurate reading. S

An electrocardiogram (ECG) is a painless procedure. It is a non-invasive procedure that measures the electrical impulses of a person's heart to see if there are any abnormalities. Electrodes (sticky patches) are placed on the chest, arms and legs with wires attached to the ECG machine. It does not