One Saturday morning in June, Jamie Smith, 47, began her shift at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital. What Smith thought would be a normal day led to her waking up in a hospital bed three days later.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the United States, according to the American Heart Association. Heart disease can develop and present differently in women compared to men, and studies show that women may downplay their symptoms or delay seeking treatment. In women, the risk of heart attack and stroke increases with age, especially after menopause.

UAB Medicine is now accepting adult patients of all ages for non-emergency care at UAB Medical West. The Specialty Clinics of UAB Hospital at UAB Medical West are staffed by experienced and compassionate UAB Medicine doctors, nurses and other professionals. These new clinics are located on the sixth floor of the UAB Medical West medical office building, 5000 Medical West Way, Bessemer, AL 35022.

Atrial fibrillation, also known as AFib, is a serious heart condition that affects the rhythm of the heart causing it to beat irregularly. It is estimated to affect 40 million people worldwide and 6 million in the United States alone, according to the Heart Rhythm Society. By 2035, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 12.1 million people in the United States will have AFib.

At 1:13 a.m. on Sept. 19, 2022, Haley Crumpton woke up out of a dead sleep to find her then 29-year-old-husband Blake completely unresponsive.

People who’ve had a stroke often need physical therapy as part of their recovery. Though most are age 65 or older, high-intensity gait training can be the fastest way for these patients to regain their ability to walk.

Sudden cardiac arrest occurs when the heart suddenly stops beating. Unlike a heart attack, which occurs from a blockage that limits blood flow to a part of the heart, SCA occurs when the heart loses function due to an irregular heart rhythm, causing breathing to stop and the individual to become unconscious. SCA can occur in anyone at any age. Experts at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Sports and Exercise Medicine say that, by learning the symptoms of SCA and how to respond, one could save a life in an emergent situation.

UAB Medicine’s cardiovascular MRI scanner recently was upgraded with the latest technology, enabling providers to diagnose a wider range of conditions for several key specialties.

From childhood, Sen. Luther Strange knew he was in good hands with the care he received from UAB’s surgeons. While biking with friends during his seventh-grade year in Homewood, Alabama, Strange was thrown from his bike after being hit by a traveling sedan. After the collision, Strange remembers collapsing near the intersection and his mother waiting beside him for an ambulance to take them to Children’s Hospital moments later.

Experts at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Cardiovascular Institute are offering a new treatment for patients with uncontrolled hypertension who have not had success lowering their blood pressure with the use of medications. The new treatment involves renal denervation — a minimally invasive procedure that targets nerves near the kidneys that can become overactive and cause high blood pressure.

For Floyd Lawson, it started off as a normal weekend workout at his local YMCA branch. A veteran, husband, grandfather and gym regular, Lawson usually spends two hours or so at the gym doing cardio, stretching, lifting weights and then a visit to the steam room. To say he is active and in good health is an understatement.

This week, a structural heart team composed of interventional cardiologists and cardiovascular surgeons at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Cardiovascular Institute were among the first in the world to complete the first valve-in-valve procedure using a new transcatheter aortic valve replacement system.