Florida Hospital Fish Memorial Hosts Heart Health Seminar

ORANGE CITY, Fla., March 14, 2017 On March 9, nearly 70 community members joined Florida Hospital Fish Memorial for a physician-led cardiac seminar about heart health.

Over a complimentary lunch at the DeBary Golf and Country Club, Florida Hospital Fish Memorial interventional cardiologist Dr. Roy Venzon discussed peripheral artery disease (PAD), the diseases of blood vessels outside the heart and brain.

PAD is a common, yet serious disease, affecting eight to 12 million Americans, especially those over the age of 50, Venzon said.

PAD occurs when extra cholesterol and fat circulating in the blood collects on the walls of the arteries that supply blood to the limbs.

This disease can have a significant impact on your quality of life, make walking difficult, or worse, increasing your risk of heart attack, stroke, leg amputation, and even death, he said.

The most common symptom of PAD is fatigue in the leg muscles while walking or climbing stairs, but this discomfort dissipates once the activity is stopped. Additional symptoms include leg cramps that disturbs rest, slow or non-healing wound on the legs or feet, color changes in the feet, a lower temperature in one leg compared to the other leg, poor nail growth, and decreased hair growth on the toes and legs.

However, some people with PAD do not have the typical signs and symptoms of the disease. For those who do experience symptoms, they often don't mention it to their doctor because they think it is just a natural part of aging, Venzon said.

In addition to the educational seminar, attendees also received free blood pressure screenings and a heart risk assessment.

About Florida Hospital Fish Memorial

Florida Hospital Fish Memorial is a member of AdventHealth, a faith-based health care organization with 46 hospital campuses and nearly 8,200 licensed beds in 10 states. With 175-beds, Florida Hospital Fish Memorial is one of the six Florida Hospitals in Volusia and Flagler counties that composes the Florida Hospital East Florida Region. As the largest hospital system in the area, the Florida Hospital East Florida Region has 923 beds and more than 6,000 employees. With a mission to extend the healing ministry of Christ, the Florida Hospital East Florida Region collectively contributed nearly $120 million in benefits in 2015 to the underprivileged, the community's overall health and wellness and spiritual needs, and capital improvements.