Heart Health Tips

At the Washington University Heart Failure Center at Missouri Baptist, we use a team approach to develop an individualized plan of care for you to manage your disease.

As the COVID-19 vaccine becomes more widely available, many people wonder whether it's right for them. BJC HealthCare wants you to have the information you need to make the right decision for yourself and your loved ones.

Are you at risk for a heart attack? Learn about your risk factors with our online heart health assessment tool and find help for improving your results.

At the Arrhythmia Center at Missouri Baptist Medical Center, we want to help you understand everything there is to know about arrhythmia, especially finding the right treatment just for you. Our goal is to keep you and your heart healthy.

Lynn’s husband Steve was diabetic and diagnosed with end stage renal disease 11 years ago. Without warning, Steve’s condition turned critical three years ago. Desperate for guidance and strength, Lynn was connected to April and the Palliative Care team at Missouri Baptist Medical Center.

At Missouri Baptist Medical Center cardiac surgeons have treated atrial fibrillation surgically since 2001.

Scott Winder had been having trouble breathing and wasn’t sleeping well. Like many people do, he dismissed the symptoms until one day at work, his suddenly racing heart, sweating and worsening breathing problems sent him to the  Emergency Department at Parkland Health Center in Farmington.

Scott walked through the doors of the emergency room and collapsed.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), heart disease is the leading cause of death for "men, women, and people of most racial and ethnic groups in the United States." However, heart disease can be present with no symptoms until a significant event happens, like a stroke or heart attack.

Tasted, tested and analyzed by dietitians at Missouri Baptist Medical Center

In the fall of 2017, Dwight Blankenship, senior pastor at Parkway Baptist Church in west St. Louis County, learned his kidneys were failing. His Missouri Baptist Medical Center nephrologist, Jay Seltzer, MD, advised a kidney transplant. Fortunately, a suitable donor was close at hand.

Although she had lived with a heart condition her entire life, Tina Lybarger Ledyard knew a few months ago that something just wasn’t right. As a nurse and a stroke network consultant, Tina noticed she was feeling more fatigued than usual. Read more here about her diagnosis and how she has renewed energy after heart surgery.

When Deborah Quesenberry attended the Missouri Baptist Heart Fair in February 2017, she wasn’t expecting to have a diagnosis of a serious health problem.

Missouri Baptist Medical Center continually ranks among the top hospitals for cardiac surgery in the nation. Known for exceptional heart surgery outcomes, we are one of the few programs in the U.S. to consistently receive the Society for Thoracic Surgeons' highest 3-star rating.

Tracy Pick and her mom, Betty Mesplay, are no strangers to heart procedures. But this time the mother-daughter duo would be going through recovery together.

The transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) procedure allows a team of cardiologists and cardiac surgeons to insert a new valve inside a diseased valve without open heart surgery. The new valve is put in place through a catheter that is inserted through the groin or between the ribs. 

The treatment options at the Missouri Baptist Heart Center continue to advance, and our patients have access to the latest technologies and treatment options. 

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States.  There are several risk factors that contribute to heart disease.  Some risk factors, including gender, age and family history are uncontrollable, while other risk factors can be modified with lifestyle changes.  Learn how you can make changes to improve your heart health.

Knowing the warning signs of a heart attack can make a big difference. The faster someone having a heart attack can get care, the better the outcomes.

A woman's heart is different. Many women may not experience chest pain. Their warning signs are non-specific and often easily overlooked. 

On Dec. 5, 2017, 57-year-old Ira Schalk began to feel nauseous on his job at a lead mining operation near Viburnum, Mo. For days he had felt tired, but thought it might be the flu. It wasn’t.

BJC HealthCare is putting additional measures in place to protect patients and employees from the transmission of COVID-19. Effective Monday, March 23 BJC HealthCare is suspending visitation within its facilities.

Exceptions will be allowed in limited circumstances.

When Kenneth Amaral visits with cardiology patients at Missouri Baptist Medical Center as part of the Mended Hearts volunteer program, he speaks from first-hand experience.

Melissa Ham’s voice is still a little shaky when she recalls being told that her husband, Chris, had about a 1-in-3 chance of surviving the heart attack that occurred at their home on July 13, 2016.

Clara Freeman anxiously anticipated attending her oldest granddaughter's beach wedding.