Patient Education

Medical Treatments / Risk Factor management / Preventing heart attacks + strokes

Preventing heart attacks and strokes is about knowing your risk factors and looking after yourself. Risk should be zero for all. If you have a family history of heart attacks or strokes you need to see Cardiologist and have the appropriate assessment done.

Other risks are smoking, overweight, lack of exercise, high blood pressure, poor diet, stress, anxiety, high cholesterol, irregular heart rhythm (A Fib). All of these conditions can be identified and treated.

At RK Cardiology, part of our treatment is the whole patient, your stress, your food habits, your exercise and your heart health. We run a Healthy Living program for all patients to empower wellness and healthy living.

The remainder of treatment may include regular follow up with testing to measure progress, to monitor heart health or to assess response to treatment.
We recommend Cardiac Rehabilitation to all patients. This is particularly important in PCI /stent/CABG and heart attack patients. We wish to monitor patient’s response to treatment and be able in future to personalize individual risk and tailor patient care.

It is important that patients understand their illnesses, their health and what they need to achieve to stay well. That includes BP, Cholesterol levels, weight, waist circumference, exercising every day, sleep, stress, and taking tablets as dictated by their conditions (cholesterol, blood pressure, blood thinners, rhythm medication). There is an opportunity for patients to participate in close monitoring through the use of wearable technologies (such as Fit bit, Withings, i-watch and similar devices in conjunction with their heart care. This can be discussed individually with Dr.Kelly. Similar quantified -self options are available as part of RK Cardiology Healthy Living Programme.

RK Cardiology also supports exercise and eating healthy initiatives, including Walk with a Doctor and local parks 5 –K series. Walking groups can be organized for interested patients.

RK Cardiology takes part in clinical research to improve healthcare. Dr Kelly is the co-Principal Investigator on a study to identify atrial fibrillation in patients at risk for having strokes. This study is being done with Tallaght and Beacon Hospitals, with local primary care recruiting patients for the studies.