Peter Giordano is a lifelong ice hockey player who believes you never quit in the middle of a game, no matter what. So when his chest felt tight and he struggled for breath in the third period of a game one Saturday in October, the 47-year-old Giordano kept on playing. Even when both arms went numb, he kept on playing.

When the game ended, he dropped to his knees and collapsed in the middle of the rink. Within moments, while his teammates scrambled to get him off the ice and remove his gear, his heart stopped; his teammates saw his eyes roll behind his head and his lips turn blue.

Giordano was revived with a defibrillator kept at the Chestnut Hill rink, but he was still near death. His heart stopped once more before he was rushed to the OR at Einstein Medical Center Philadelphia, where Dr. Khalid Chaudhry and his interventional cardiology team performed an emergency heart catheterization to open a blocked coronary artery and implant a stent.

Frank Ryan is a 67-year-old retired truck driver, grandfather of 18 and great-grandfather of 9. He had been experiencing atrial fibrillation—an irregular, often rapid heart rhythm that robbed him of his energy, leaving him weak, lightheaded and short of breath. He came to Einstein for help. His doctor was Sumeet Mainigi, MD, associate director of electrophysiology at Einstein Medical Center. Here is Frank’s story in his own words:

"Dr. Mainigi told me about a revolutionary procedure—ablation—as a way to treat my atrial fibrillation. He explained the procedure and made me feel confident that I was the perfect candidate. I said “no.” But one night watching TV, I couldn't focus on the show or relax at all. My heart was pumping out of my chest. So I decided to do it.

More than a lot of people, Einstein Healthcare Network vice president and chief nurse executive Ric Cuming, EdD, MSN, RN, CNOR, NEA-BC, knows fully well the impact heart disease has on human life.

“As a nurse, I worked many years in the coronary care unit/medical ICU,” he says, “and then I moved into the operating room and joined the open heart surgery team.”

But one day last December, heart disease really hit home.

“My best friend Gary passed away from a massive heart attack. He died at 56, about four months short of his 57^th birthday. To make matters worse, his partner of 32 years, Mike, came home to find him in the bathroom.”

So when the Philadelphia Heart Walk 2015 steps off Saturday, November 7, at Citizens Bank Park, Cuming—part of a team of Einstein executives—will have a bit of extra motivation: “I’m walking for Gary.”

Perspectives: What’s new in cardiac electrophysiology (diagnosing and treating heart rhythm disorders)? What can be done now that couldn’t be done earlier in the field?

Dr. Mainigi: The field has exploded and advanced dramatically in the last few years. We can now very precisely target and destroy arrhythmias, and offer patients effective control or cure of these potentially life-threatening problems. We can really change peoples’ lives. And the best thing about it is that these procedures are faster and more effective than ever before.

Chocolate Strawberry Shortcake Recipe

Strawberry shortcake just got better with a touch of chocolate. Creamy vanilla yogurt replaces high fat whipped cream in this delicious chocolate strawberry shortcake to make a heart-healthy dessert.

Ingredients

Filling

• 2 lb fresh strawberries, sliced (5 1/2 to 6 cups)
• 1/4 cup sugar

Cake

• 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1/3 cup cold trans fat free margarine, cut into bits
• 2/3 cup skim milk
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 16 oz container nonfat vanilla yogurt

A Delicious Dinner in Just Minutes

Ingredients

Preparation

Changing Your Diet May Prevent a Heart Attack

Powerful results from long-term studies indicate that people who change their diets for the better after suffering a heart attack are much less likely to die of heart disease or suffer another cardiac event.

In fact, adopting a heart-healthy diet proved to have similar success in risk reduction as taking statin drugs.