THE HEART HOSPITAL Baylor Plano Hosts Community Seminar on Atrial Fibrillation

Contact: Susan Hall, (214) 820-1817
Email: SusanH@baylorhealth.edu

(PLANO, TEXAS – April 17, 2008) – On Saturday, April 26, from 10 a.m. to noon, THE HEART HOSPITAL Baylor Plano will host a free seminar for people to learn more about treatment options for atrial fibrillation or an irregular heartbeat of the upper chambers of the heart, called the atria. Atrial fibrillation, which is due to a malfunction in the heart’s electrical system, is the most common heart irregularity, or cardiac arrhythmia and can affect people of all ages. The seminar will be held in the first floor auditorium at THE HEART HOSPITAL, 1100 Allied Drive, Plano.

Speaking at the seminar will be James R. Edgerton, M.D., and Mellanie True-Hills, author of “A Woman’s Guide to Saving Her Own Life,” a book about her own experience with atrial fibrillation or afib, as it’s often called.

Today, according to the American Heart Association, approximately 2.2 million Americans have this disorder. The likelihood of developing of atrial fibrillation increases with age; successfully treating atrial fibrillation can help prevent strokes.

Dr. Edgerton, a cardiothoracic surgeon on the medical staff of THE HEART HOSPITAL, will discuss the treatment options for afib, including the newest option called Mini-Maze surgical ablation, a minimally-invasive surgical ablation technique that doesn’t require opening the chest.

THE HEART HOSPITAL Baylor Plano is located at 1100 Allied Dr. (two blocks east of Preston Road at Plano Parkway) next to Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano.

Complimentary parking is available in the adjacent parking garage. THE HEART HOSPITAL is the first and only freestanding, full-service hospital in this region dedicated entirely to heart and vascular care. The hospital offers an expansive portfolio of inpatient and outpatient heart and vascular services and care. THE HEART HOSPITAL is a partnership between Baylor Plano and 86 cardiovascular physicians and surgeons who practice in North Texas.