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Washington University Heart Failure Center at Missouri Baptist

In January 2019, the Washington University Heart Failure Center at Missouri Baptist opened to provide advanced heart failure care.

A Team Approach

Offering a range of screening services and specialized treatments, the Center at MoBap functions as a stand-alone clinic, seeing ambulatory patients on an outpatient basis. In addition, the Center sees hospitalized patients for observation, diagnosis, treatment and intervention. Specialists and clinicians work together to provide comprehensive care through all the stages of the recovery process. 

"This Center is an extension of the program at Barnes-Jewish Hospital,” said Washington University cardiologist Dr. Gregory Ewald. “The biggest benefactors are the patients who can get high-quality care for a range of heart conditions.”

Heart failure—caused by a weakened heart muscle—can be difficult to treat and frightening to those who have the condition. The term heart failure can apply to a heart muscle that is weak, enlarged, and does not pump effectively. That’s why diagnosis, treatment, and management of heart failure requires the collaboration of a team of health care specialists.

Starting with your primary care physician your care may include: cardiologists, electrophysiologists (cardiologists who specialize in heart rhythm management), cardiac surgeons, and a nurse practitioner who specializes in heart failure. Together this team will develop and individualized plan to help you to manage your condition.

Daily tips to manage your condition

• Weigh yourself daily
• Monitor your blood pressure daily
• Limit your intake of salt
• Exercise at levels recommended by your physician
• Take your medications exactly as prescribed
• Maintain frequent visits with your physician
• Ask questions and make sure you fully understand all information
• If you smoke, please stop. Smoking makes the symptoms of CHF much worse.

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Washington University Heart Failure Center at Missouri Baptist

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.

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Online Heart Health Assessment

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.

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Tom Caspari thought he was too healthy to have a heart attack.

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MoBap Celebrates 1,000 TAVR Case Milestone

On December 6, 2022, Missouri Baptist Medical Center performed its 1,000th transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR).

“We are proud to reach this milestone,” says Michael Mauney, MD, cardiothoracic surgeon on staff at Missouri Baptist. “MoBap was among the first medical centers in the nation to adopt this procedure following FDA approval in Fall 2011.”

TAVR is a minimally invasive procedure for replacing a stenotic (tight) aortic valve in which the aortic valve narrows, reducing blood flow from the heart to the aorta. This procedure can also replace failed artificial aortic and mitral valves. TAVR is a treatment option to be considered for those with severe aortic stenosis, including many with worn-out surgical valves.

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Cardiac Testing at Missouri Baptist Medical Center

Diagnosing a heart condition often requires a combination of cardiovascular diagnostic and screening tests. These advanced tests can often determine the existence, type and severity of heart disease.

At Missouri Baptist Medical Center, our Cardiac Diagnostics Center is equipped with advanced technology and expertly trained staff to conducts these tests. Your test results will be evaluated by a board-certified cardiologist on staff at MoBap and discussed with your physician to tailor a treatment plan for your specific condition.

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Mitral Valve Replacement

When Tina needed a new mitral valve, she benefited from BJC HealthCare’s collaborative approach to care that connected her with a multidisciplinary team of heart specialists. Her journey included seamless coordination between medical teams at two BJC HealthCare facilities: Barnes-Jewish St. Peters Hospital and Missouri Baptist Medical Center (MoBap).

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Dr. Stewart Gets a “Second Chance at Life” After Heart Attack

Todd Stewart, MD, is no stranger to critically ill patients and life-saving procedures. As a spinal neurosurgeon and chief of neurosurgery at Missouri Baptist Medical Center, it’s all in a day’s work. But it came as a shock when he suffered a life-threatening heart attack last year.

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Heart Health Tips

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.

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

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Living (Well) With Congestive Heart Failure

Follow these tips to live a healthier life with congestive heart failure.

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An Alliance to Save Lives by Saving Time

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.

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An Unexpected Diagnosis

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.

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Her Heart Health

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

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An Unexpected Journey of the Heart

When it came time for LaTisha (Tish) Smith of Belleville, Ill., to tell her family that she was having surgery, the hardest conversation was with her 9-year-old son, Lee.

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Cardiac surgeons at MoBap talk about valve disease and new treatment methods, including minimally invasive surgery.

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Reducing Risk, Improving Rhythm: Treating Atrial Fibrillation

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

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Starting Your Heart Health Journey

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.

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Saving Heart Muscle, Saving Lives

In 2008, cardiologists at Missouri Baptist Medical Center developed the Heart LifeLine Alliance in partnership with rural hospitals, medical helicopter and ambulance services.

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Early Heart Attack Care

Did you know that heart attacks have beginnings and these beginning signs occur in more than half of all heart attack patients? Learn the important early signs and symptoms.

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Getting Clara to the Beach

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

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Recovery is a Journey

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.

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Know the Warning Signs of a Heart Attack

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.

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Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement

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. 

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Arrhythmia Center

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.

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