"Learn About Your Heart...Made Simple" A new, comprehensive sourcebook for heart disease patients

What was your thinking behind the creation of this book? Learn About Your Heart…Made Simple was actually developed through the efforts of multiple people involved with the Midwest Cardiovascular Research Foundation (MCRF), as well as outside colleagues who were invited to participate in the writing process. The idea of the book came to us because we saw that the need is tremendous. With the explosive growth of information in cardiovascular medicine, ideas are progressing at a speed that is extremely difficult for the lay public to keep up with. We felt we needed a comprehensive resource that would convey all the new technology, concepts and knowledge in a very simplified and accurate way. Initially, our group thought about many different ways of accomplishing this, including publishing information on MCRF web page (mcrfmd.com), brochures, conferences and so forth. We later felt, however, that all these measures were not really comprehensive enough, and were not under one unified resource, like that of a book. A book, with a good index at the back, can be utilized as a solid reference source. Our book is written at an 8th grade level for readers. It is our hope that it will be very similar to reading a newspaper, easy for the lay public to understand and digest, in other words. As a practicing cardiologist, I get asked numerous questions every single day about why such-and-such happens, what does vascular disease mean, what does it mean to have a blockage in my carotid? And so forth. Simple questions, but I can tell you that the general public has little grasp of new rapidly emerging concepts or even sometimes the very basic information. To us, it became clearly apparent that the gap between what we, as physicians and professionals, know and what the public knows has become tremendous. I found myself spending double, if not triple, the amount of time to convey these concepts to patients in my office, just because the amount and detailed information we need to give the patients has become quite complex. When we designed this book, it was done in a question and answer format. We tried to limit the answers to a single page overall, so the reader can just go straight to the question they want and get immediate answers they are looking for. Hopefully, as a result, the readers’ education level and understanding will go up to such a point that when they next encounter their physicians, they have a better understanding of their disease process, how to prevent it and/or how to take care of themselves in a better way. Education is part of the mission of the Midwest Cardiovascular Research Foundation, which I formed under the idea of promoting cardiovascular research. Education is also a very important aspect of the foundation’s mission. Thus, the book came about beautifully in terms of meeting a need in our practice at Cardiovascular Medicine, PC and in our community, and is in line with our foundation mission. We were very excited that the first edition of this book, which was only 50,000 copies, lasted a mere three months on the shelf with only local distribution. We were amazed to see a phenomenal difference in our patients’ understanding after they were given access to the book. They read it before they came to see us and were excited about it. I have received note after note from patients telling me We’d love to have a copy; Can I have an extra copy for my brother? Can I have a copy for my mom? It really is exciting. We were very pleased with the outcome of the first edition, and are doubly excited to release the second edition, which will be distributed on a national basis. How have you incorporated the book into your patient practice and community? We have used it as an available reference for our patients. Let’s be realistic how much time can you spend with patients and how much can you educate them in detailed terms about their disease and treatment processes? You can sit down and talk to patients for a whole day, and I guarantee you that will not be enough. Through their reading of this book, I believe we are enhancing patients’ educational processes and learning experiences, and I really believe strongly that access to this information is giving better care to these patients. This book does not just target patients, but also targets the general population. We have distributed it through churches, pharmacists in the area, other doctor’s offices, other foundations, and community events, where organizers came in and said, We’re having a cholesterol screening program. Can you give us a thousand copies of the book so that people coming in could have one? That was the process through which we were able to distribute the book at a significant level throughout the community. Interestingly enough, we even had grocery stores that were very interested, and put the book on their counters. The first edition was an excellent book for the general public, not just for patients, and the second edition targets exactly the same audience. Learn About Your Heart…Made Simple has more educational purposes. Its focus is not only on enhancing the reader’s learning experience but also on bridging the knowledge gap that exists now between physicians and their patients. There are 4 new chapters in the second edition. The first new chapter educates people about available options of surgical interventions for the cardiovascular patient. Patients ask questions like: when do we do a bypass? What does a bypass mean? What kind of life expectancy should I expect after a bypass? If you are diabetic versus not diabetic, does it make a difference in how you get treated? How do you treat aneurysms? The second chapter we thought important to add was cardiac rehabilitation. People need to understand more the importance of exercise as a routine, as well as how much they can gain by doing rehabilitation. We also address who qualifies for rehabilitation and what it means in terms of physical activity and diet changes. Colleagues at the Genesis Heart Institute in Davenport, Iowa, are writing this chapter. The third chapter is on the topic of erectile dysfunction (ED). ED is related to cardiovascular problems, and it is a vascular problem in the majority of patients who end up with impotence. This chapter also addresses drug interactions. In light of all the drugs available on the market to treat ED, we talk about how they interact with cardiovascular drugs, why they are important, and what other benefits these drugs have. Another topic is how do we approach the diagnosis of ED? Is it psychological, physical or combined? We have an excellent expert in the field writing on this topic, a urologist whose primary interest is ED. The fourth chapter is on nutrition and diet. There are several types of diets that people hear about all the time: what is the Atkins diet plan, South Beach Diet, the AHA diet? Which diet do we think should be promoted based on current guidelines? Do low carbohydrates help? What's the impact of high fat, and how do you look at caloric intake? Two nutritionists who are also experts in cardiovascular nutrition are writing this chapter. How long did it take for you to put together the first edition of Learn About Your Heart¦Made Simple? It took us close to 8 months, after having everybody on board and working with us. It was definitely a learning experience because we did not know exactly how the book was going to turn out, so we went through an experimentation process as we wrote certain aspects. We changed the writing format a few times, and then decided that the question and answer format was ideal. An illustrator also worked very closely with us. All the drawings in the first edition are original to the book. The illustrator, Lynne Majetic, also has experience as a cath lab nurse, so she understands the topic very well. These figures were not theoretical concepts for her and as a result, the illustrations are as practical as you can get. There was also the process of finding an editor, Suzanne Hartung, to make sure everything was well edited from an English standpoint. We also had it tested by the lay public, picking two or three people to randomly read the chapters before they went out on the street. These readers gave us feedback as to what they understood and what they thought was difficult to understand. It was very important for us to do that beta testing before we released the book. The Midwest Cardiovascular Research Foundation also had grants that helped in the publication and printing of the book, and we had people dedicated around the clock to help us out. As a result, the book’s first edition was a successful project and we’re very excited of being able to provide a second edition. Can you share more about the Midwest Cardiovascular Research Foundation (MCRF) and its interaction with the Genesis Heart Institute? Some of the physicians at the Genesis Heart Institute (an entity made of three separate corporations: Genesis Medical Center, Cardiovascular Medicine, PC, and the cardiovascular surgeons) are either investigators at the MCRF or board members at the MCRF. The strongest link between the two organizations is technically the clinical investigators who are at both the Institute and the MCRF. The foundation, however, is independent. It is not part of the Heart Institute, and vice-versa. The MCRF has its own structure, operational system, office building, coordinators, a manager, and grant writers, as well as biostatistical, legal and accountant consultants, associate clinical investigators, and so forth. MCRF also works closely with other institutions. For instance, MCRF works very closely with investigators at CGH Hospital in Sterling, Illinois, such as Dr. Peter Toth. Also, it has closely worked with investigators from the Innovis Health System in North Dakota, such as Dr. Edmund Fiksinski. Recently one of our investigators, Dr. Eric Dippel, expanded MCRF’s research operation to Trinity Medical Center, a tertiary hospital owned by the Iowa Health System in Iowa. Our purpose as a foundation is really to be able to work with everybody, particularly in the Midwest, to foster a collaborative effort among physician investigators to conduct clinical research and large educational programs. For example, last fall we conducted Cardiovascular Intervention and Practice Guidelines 2004 (CIPG 2004). Our keynote speaker was Dr. Peter Libby from Harvard. Prominent speakers from the entire country and the Midwest came to CIPG. This fall, CIPG 2005 is going to be in the Quad Cities, in Davenport, Iowa. We’re hoping that every year we can have CIPG held somewhere in the Midwest in order to continue to promote guidelines, deliver new research ideas, and have the faculty and attendees interact with each other to enhance the overall learning experience. CIPG is structured in such a way that appeals not only to the practicing cardiologists but also to family practitioners and allied health professionals. Right now, we are not looking at expanding CIPG to a national level, but we might consider doing so in the future. What are you finding most intriguing in your current research and work in cardiovascular medicine? As far as I’m concerned, cardiovascular medicine is probably one of the most challenging fields in terms of keeping up with new information. This field has progressed so quickly that we are constantly challenged to learn new things. I derive great pleasure from these challenges keeping up with new information and cutting-edge technology, and being part of its development. I also enjoy educating colleagues about new discoveries and inventions. Being an educator is a great challenge but greatly rewarding. Obviously, our main mission is to take good care of patients. At the end of the road, we are doing this for our patients, who will have a better quality of life and live longer as a result. I.m not a 100% researcher I divide my time between research and clinical work, and I derive a lot of pleasure from taking care of my patients, many of who participate in our clinical trials and are a great source of ideas for future research. I think being a clinical scientist means you can have one foot in the door as a clinical practitioner, taking care of people, and one foot in the door of research. Bridging between these two aspects of medicine has probably been the most exciting thing for me. The second edition of Learn About the Heart…Made Simple will be available in fall 2005. Contact Michelle Koch at MKoch@hmpcommunications.com or (800) 237-7285, ext. 246, for more information.

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