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.

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.

People who have received transplants understand that organ transplantation offers a second chance at life. UAB Medicine patients Lucy Emonina and her daughter, Ovuke’ McCoy, share that understanding in a deeper way. They both were born with a serious heart condition and later received heart transplants. Since then, mother and daughter have enjoyed active lives, sharing their stories in various ways and serving as ambassadors for heart health and organ donation awareness.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the United States, accounting for about one in every five deaths. Over 60 million women in the United States are living with heart disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In an effort to curb heart disease and stroke rates, cardiologists at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Cardiovascular Institute have relaunched the Women’s Heart Health Program.

Electrophysiologists at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Cardiovascular Institute are among the first in the nation to use pulsed-field ablation to treat atrial fibrillation. According to Tom McElderry, M.D., an associate professor of medicine in the UAB Division of Cardiovascular Disease, this novel therapy uses fast, high-energy electrical pulses to ablate pulmonary veins and atrial tissue safely and effectively.

Time is the key to preventing death and disability from stroke. So, when a patient suffering a stroke arrives at the UAB Hospital Emergency Department (ED), a rapid response team strives to provide the most appropriate care in the shortest time possible.