Vital Message of ‘World Heart Day’ Spotlighted by Leaders at Baptist Health Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute

World Heart Day, Sept. 29, became an annual event in 2011 through a partnership between Geneva-based World Heart Foundation and the World Health Organization. The goal: Increase awareness and engage communities on the significance of heart disease prevention, detection and treatment. 

The 2024 World Heart Day theme is to "Use Heart for Action" and empower everyone to improve heart care for themselves and encourage others to take cardiovascular disease more seriously. 

Tom C. Nguyen, M.D., FACS, FACC, chief medical executive and Barry T. Katzen Endowed Chair of Baptist Health Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute.

Heart disease remains the No. 1 cause of death globally since the 1920s, and U.S. adults are 10 times more likely to die from heart disease than cancer, explains Tom C. Nguyen, M.D., FACS, FACC, chief medical executive and Barry T. Katzen Endowed Chair of Baptist Health Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute, where he is also the director of Minimally Invasive Valve Surgery.

“However, we've seen exponential progress within the past five to ten years treating cardiovascular conditions,” said Dr. Nguyen, who joined the Institute earlier this year as an internationally recognized minimally invasive heart surgeon. “At Baptist Health, we have world leaders pushing the envelope and treating complex heart problems. Our mission is also to mitigate this burden of cardiovascular disease and identify at-risk people early to prevent a bad outcome.”

Baptist Health Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute is also in the global spotlight by leading the landmark Miami Heart Study, or MiHeart, launched in 2015 by teams at the Institute. It’s evolving data reverberates throughout the preventive cardiology field in the U.S. and internationally.

“The study findings will have important implications, further refining current cardiovascular prevention paradigms and risk assessment and management approaches moving forward,” states the lead authors of the study, published by the National Institutes of Health.

Medical experts and professional organizations are keeping a close eye on the unique, diverse population being studied — more than 2,500 asymptomatic volunteers from South Florida, aged 40-65. The study is innovative on many fronts, including the focus on such a large group of individuals free of established cardiovascular disease or symptoms when recruited.

Jonathan Fialkow, M.D., chief medical executive of Population Health, Value and Primary Care for Baptist Health, and a deputy director and Chief of Cardiology at Baptist Health Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute.

The Institute is a leader in the growing field of preventive cardiology, explains MiHeart senior author Jonathan Fialkow, M.D., chief medical executive of Population Health, Value and Primary Care for Baptist Health, and a deputy director and Chief of Cardiology at Baptist Health Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute.

“For too many people, the first sign of heart disease is heart attack or even sudden death,” said Dr. Fialkow. “Most cardiac deaths are preventable. With ongoing studies, we are taking the lead in preventive cardiology. With the Miami Heart Study, we’re taking it a step further by determining the components that identify those with asymptomatic plaque so we can better identify at-risk people early.”

For years, the Institute has taken a leading role in national clinical trials that have led to pivotal advances in treating or replacing heart valves and improving outcomes of other cardiovascular therapies and procedures.

Because of impressive advances in both knowledge and technology, minimally invasive surgery is now a possibility for an increasing number of cardiac bypass patients.

Dr. Nguyen considers it an honor to lead the Institute, and says he is committed to ensuring “we have the best healthcare possible, not just at Baptist Health but in all of Miami, across Florida and beyond.”