TAI Health Fair
July 26, 2003

Visitors to the Texas Arrhythmia Institute Health Fair and Educational Seminar on July 26th enjoyed a wonderful time. Representatives from St. Jude Medical, Guidant, Bard Electrophysiology, and Medtronic returned to provide information and answer questions regarding their products. The Health Fair welcomed representatives from Biosense Webster.

Dr. Antonio Pacifico began the Seminar with his insight into a positive trend among patients. People have been spending more time educating themselves about their health concerns and treatments using the Internet, and Dr. Pacifico stated his hope that the TAI Educational Seminar would be seen as a complement to that research and of benefit to everyone. From this introduction, Dr. Pacifico proceeded to "Medical Reform: Prescription Drug Plans, Reimbursement, Rationing of Care." The American insurance driven health care was compared to the Canadian nationally provided health care. The Medicare system was broken down to show how it was distributed and who receives Medicare, and the qualifications for Medicaid were reviewed. Dr. Pacifico shared his insight into viable solutions for the health care management problems in America, and his belief that health care should not be tied to employment. The final offering of Dr. Pacifico's discussion presented the idea of a patient record system that all doctors can access, similiar to how the different airline companies manage flight plans.

Dr. Philip Henry started the next discussion "Good Fats, Bad Fats, Akins Diet -- What a Confusion." Dr. Henry started with the statement that the labels of carbohydrate, protein, and fat are too oversimplified. The range within these labels are too vast to designate what is "good" and what is "bad" based on concepts such as "fat content" or "cholesterol content." For example, within the label of "fats" are things that can have completely opposite effects from each other. It is from these oversimplified labels that a lot of public confusion about nutrition comes from. Concepts such as "good cholesterol" and "bad cholesterol" cause significant confusion every day, especially when cholesterol itself is technically a type of fat! Dr. Henry showed that all food that comes from animals have at least a little amount of both fat and cholesterol, even in perfectly lean meat. He also presented evidence and sources that show that the cholesterol and fat content of fish and animals tend to be very similiar.

Dr. Anton Nielsen presented "New Anti-Cholesterol Medications." Dr. Nielsen showed how the body naturally removes cholesterol, and showed pictures of how cholesterol actually harms the body. The discussion then moved towards the mechanism of treatments and medications that are used nowadays to assist the body in controlling and removing cholesterol. This talk closed with a detailed view of the new drug Zetia and how Zetia assisted with controlling cholesterol.

Dr. Nadim Nasir Jr. followed with "What You Should Know About Pacemakers." Dr. Nasir continued this subject from the last Health Fair into the operation of pacemakers and how they are implanted. Dr. Nasir showed the different leads used, and how they are placed in the heart. The battery life of a pacemaker and indications of a low battery were explained, with humorous anecdotes regarding low battery indicators. Dr. Nasir concluded with a discussion about living and cautions with a pacemaker.

Dr. Stanley Duchman's "Coronary Artery Disease Evaluation and Treatment" was very well received. Dr. Duchman showed what a doctor looks for in an echocardiogram, with actual echocardiograms on the screen. The echocardiograms were followed by nuclear images of healthy and damaged hearts. Dr. Duchman pointed out the differences between healthy and unhealthy areas of the heart. The final portion of Dr. Duchman's discussion had X-Ray videos of angioplasties. He showed how blocked blood vessels appear to doctors, and the changes in the vessels after the angioplasty.

Between each of the discussions there was a question and answer session between the audience and a panel consisting of Antonio Pacifico, Anton Nielsen, Nadim Nasir Jr, Philip Henry, and Stanley Duchman. These sessions addressed a wide range of questions from medical legislation to healthy cholesterol levels. The Texas Arrhythmia Institute received many praises and thanks for the delightful seminar from our guests. The next Texas Arrhythmia Institute Health Fair and Educational Seminar is scheduled for March 20, 2004.

As always we would appreciate comments and suggestions for our next seminar.