EXPERT
Tim Alexander Fischell, MD
Cardiologist
Dr. Tim Fischell is a cardiologist practicing in Kalamazoo, MI. Dr. Fischell specializes in diagnosing, monitoring, and treating diseases or conditions of the heart and blood vessels and the cardiovascular system. These conditions include heart attacks, heart murmurs, coronary heart disease, and hypertension. Dr. Fischell also practices preventative medicine, helping patients maintain a heart-healthy life.
Tim A. Fischell, MD
- Kalamazoo, MI
- Accepting new patients
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Can too much anesthesia cause cardiac arrest?
It is unlikely for anesthesia to cause a cardiac arrest although at high enough doses you can get arrhythmias or bradycardia. More likely, anesthesia of course inhibits respiration. READ MORE
It is unlikely for anesthesia to cause a cardiac arrest although at high enough doses you can get arrhythmias or bradycardia. More likely, anesthesia of course inhibits respiration. If you’re not intubated on a ventilator and you get anesthesia you will have a respiratory arrest.
How is high blood pressure diagnosed?
Blood pressure can be easily measured using a cuff applied either to the arm or occasionally to the leg or the wrist. You inflate this to pressure above the arterial blood pressure READ MORE
Blood pressure can be easily measured using a cuff applied either to the arm or occasionally to the leg or the wrist. You inflate this to pressure above the arterial blood pressure and then slowly it is deflated and measures when blood flow returns to the hand or arm or foot. The device to measure this is called a sphygmomanometer so one can easily measure blood pressure. There are automated ones from places like Walgreens that can do this at home without having to go to a doctors office.
What are the first signs of a heart attack in a woman?
Like men, women often have typical symptoms when they have a heart attack, which would be severe chest pressure or tightness often associated with shortness of breath, swelling, READ MORE
Like men, women often have typical symptoms when they have a heart attack, which would be severe chest pressure or tightness often associated with shortness of breath, swelling, and occasionally nausea. The challenging thing about women, especially with older women, is that they often have more atypical symptoms which may be things like just arm aching or neck aching, or fatigue, or dizziness...
Does walking help an irregular heartbeat?
In general, exercise is very good for your cardiovascular system and your heart. If you are having an irregular heartbeat this is often caused by what is called atrial premature READ MORE
In general, exercise is very good for your cardiovascular system and your heart. If you are having an irregular heartbeat this is often caused by what is called atrial premature beats or ventricular premature beats. Sometimes these occur more often when your heart rate is slow. By exercising or walking and increasing your heart rate that could suppress some of the premature beats. It is also likely that when you were walking you’ll be less aware of some of these premature beats.
Will drinking water lower your heart rate?
In general, drinking water will have little or no effect on your heart rate.
Is sleeping on the left side bad for your heart?
There was no scientific evidence that would suggest that sleeping on your left side causes any problem with your heart. I would not worry about it.
What is the most serious type of heart arrhythmia?
By far the most serious irregular heart rhythm is a condition called ventricular tachycardia. These are fast and have normal beats that come from the pumping chamber or the ventricle. READ MORE
By far the most serious irregular heart rhythm is a condition called ventricular tachycardia. These are fast and have normal beats that come from the pumping chamber or the ventricle. in some cases these can degenerate into a fatal heart rhythm. That is the most serious. Atrial fibrillation is also serious heart rhythm abnormality when the top (atrial) chambers are beating very fast. This can predispose one to having a stroke and requires lifelong anticoagulation.
Can you feel an arrhythmia?
Yes. There are many arrhythmias that you can feel. The most common or isolated premature heartbeats caused by extra electrical activity either in the top chambers (the atria) READ MORE
Yes. There are many arrhythmias that you can feel. The most common or isolated premature heartbeats caused by extra electrical activity either in the top chambers (the atria) or from premature beats from the lower muscular chambers called ventricular premature beats. In these cases you do not feel the premature baby but you feel the stronger heartbeat that occurs after a pause caused by the premature beat. There are other arrhythmias such as atrial fibrillation that make your heart go fast and irregular and most people will feel is quite distinctly. Other fast heart rhythms may give symptoms of dizziness or palpitations.
How does dental health relate to heart health?
There is definitely an association between poor dental health and gingivitis (gum disease) and atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries that affect the heart arteries and cause READ MORE
There is definitely an association between poor dental health and gingivitis (gum disease) and atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries that affect the heart arteries and cause heart attacks. The cause and effect of this is not as clear. It may be that people with poor dental health also have higher risk factors from bad eating habits or high blood pressure or diabetes. However, there may be a separate inflammatory component that accelerates vascular disease when you have poor dental health.
Can you have a heart attack with normal blood pressure and pulse?
Yes. Although some heart attacks can be associated with a low heart rate such as a heart attack on the bottom wall of the heart called an inferior myocardial infarction, and large READ MORE
Yes. Although some heart attacks can be associated with a low heart rate such as a heart attack on the bottom wall of the heart called an inferior myocardial infarction, and large heart attacks on the front wall of the heart called an anterior myocardial infarction will often result in increased heart rate, and a lower blood pressure, you definitely can have a heart attack while you were experiencing a normal heart rate and a normal blood pressure.
Can someone survive a heart attack without medical attention?
Yes. You can definitely survive many heart attacks without seeking medical attention. However, and as we have been seeing three in the Covid when patients are not coming to the READ MORE
Yes. You can definitely survive many heart attacks without seeking medical attention. However, and as we have been seeing three in the Covid when patients are not coming to the hospital people often arrive with fatal complications. Approximately 25% of all heart attacks are “silent,” meaning that the person had a heart attack and it is only picked up months or years later by testing. Obviously all of those people have survived their “silent“ heart attack.
Is profuse sweating a sign of a heart attack?
Profuse sweating is occasionally an accompanying symptom during a heart attack. I would say this is more common during what is called an inferior myocardial infarction which is READ MORE
Profuse sweating is occasionally an accompanying symptom during a heart attack. I would say this is more common during what is called an inferior myocardial infarction which is a heart attack on the bottom wall of the heart typically from closing the right coronary artery. It’s usually also associated with chest discomfort and sometimes nausea.
How long should an ECG last?
The electrocardiogram or EKG is typically pretty stable over many many years. It can be changed over your lifetime with things like long-standing high blood pressure, other heart READ MORE
The electrocardiogram or EKG is typically pretty stable over many many years. It can be changed over your lifetime with things like long-standing high blood pressure, other heart conditions, and most obviously during or after a heart attack. If you stay in great health your entire life your EKG at age 80 may look very much like your EKG at age 28.
Can high blood pressure make you more likely to catch covid-19?
During this recent pandemic there has been a relatively high association between pre-existing conditions and the susceptibility to get the virus and to have an adverse outcome READ MORE
During this recent pandemic there has been a relatively high association between pre-existing conditions and the susceptibility to get the virus and to have an adverse outcome from the infection. The most important ones that have been identified are obesity and type 2 diabetes. Hypertension, which does go along with the older age has been associated, but may or may not be a cause of infection morbidity it may just be that hypertension is a marker of older age. Clearly older people are more susceptible to bad outcomes with the infection.
Can you stop a heart attack at home?
Most heart attacks are caused by the rupture of a plaque in a heart artery or coronary artery with clot formation at the site of rupture. There are very few things you can do to READ MORE
Most heart attacks are caused by the rupture of a plaque in a heart artery or coronary artery with clot formation at the site of rupture. There are very few things you can do to relieve this at home. Perhaps the only thing you can do that may slightly increase the chance that the clot breaks up and restore flow is the chew an aspirin. This allows it to dissolve quickly inhibit the platelets that allow the clot, in about five or 10% of the cases, to break up and restore blood flow prior to arriving at the hospital. At no time should you delay in anyway calling 911 and getting to the nearest emergency room as soon as possible. Home treatments do not work for heart attacks.
What anesthesia is used for heart surgery?
Obviously, open heart surgery is a major procedure. This is always done under general anesthesia. There are some very rare and strange reports of acupuncture being used in China READ MORE
Obviously, open heart surgery is a major procedure. This is always done under general anesthesia. There are some very rare and strange reports of acupuncture being used in China but this is not a western technique approach.
Is a heart valve replacement major surgery?
Heart valve surgery is major surgery. Typically this requires opening the chest cavity by going through the sternum with s saw and then put in the heart on cardio pulmonary bypass READ MORE
Heart valve surgery is major surgery. Typically this requires opening the chest cavity by going through the sternum with s saw and then put in the heart on cardio pulmonary bypass to replace the heart and lungs while the heart is open fix the valve. This is the definition of major surgery.
Can you die from high heart rate?
You can die from the high heart rate. The classic example of this is a rhythm called ventricular tachycardia. This can speed the ventricle at rates upwards of 200 bpm. It is typically READ MORE
You can die from the high heart rate. The classic example of this is a rhythm called ventricular tachycardia. This can speed the ventricle at rates upwards of 200 bpm. It is typically unstable and can degenerate into full-blown ventricular fibrillation where the pump just fibrillates and does not beat. This of course leads to sudden death. There are other causes a very fast heart rate that can also lead to fatal arrhythmias. Heart rates of 180 or less are generally tolerated and not fatal specially in younger patients.
How long do you stay in the hospital after a mild heart attack?
After a small heart attack one would typically stay in the hospital, these days, only 1 to 2 nights. The treatment is so effective with immediate stenting one can usually leave READ MORE
After a small heart attack one would typically stay in the hospital, these days, only 1 to 2 nights. The treatment is so effective with immediate stenting one can usually leave within 1 to 2 days. If, after the small heart attack and are found to have severe coronary disease and require a bypass surgery as they could be a week or longer.
How do I lower my heart rate?
The best way to lower your heart rate is physical training. The reason that world class athletes have extremely low heart rate is because their whole body and skeletal muscle is READ MORE
The best way to lower your heart rate is physical training. The reason that world class athletes have extremely low heart rate is because their whole body and skeletal muscle is in such good condition that it requires much less oxygen at rest and is able to deliver tremendous amounts of blood flow during exercise. World-class athletes like an NBA player or a marathon runner often has a resting heart rate in the 30s. One should also be careful to check things like your thyroid function to make sure that your thyroid is not overactive. There are other rare things that could raise your heart rate. There are medications that can lower your heart rate such as beta-blockers which could be an option if you’re having palpitations from high heart rate.
