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Homepage Is Where the Heart Is: New Web Site Provides Straight Talk on Cardiovascular Surgery Options

A Medical Web Site Design firm and a Salt Lake City medical practice have joined forces to create a new Web site that provides a wealth of easy-to-understand information on heart ailments and treatment options.

San Luis Obispo, CA, June 2007-Thousands of Americans living with a heart condition or heart disease avoid treatment each year because they haven't been told about risks and solutions in a way that makes sense to them. Thankfully, a new Web site offers helpful information in plain English for heart patients and their concerned friends and family. The site is one of the few out there offering the latest details on heart surgery innovations in an approachable, user-friendly format.

"This was just a fantastic opportunity to collaborate with surgeons on the leading edge of their field," said Ryan Miller, president of Etna Interactive, a national online medical marketing firm. "We were able to create a site that offers new information for people with heart conditions like atrial fibrillation, information that just wasn't very accessible before. The knowledge gained by visitors to the site is encouraging heart patients to discuss their options with doctors and family members, conversations that quite literally save lives."

The new Web site, located at www.westerncardio.com, was designed to educate visitors on an array of heart conditions and clear up some common misperceptions about cardiovascular surgery options, with a focus on those people who suffer from some of the most serious heart conditions, such as atrial fibrillation, coronary artery disease, and aortic valve stenosis. Because the science of heart surgery continues to advance so quickly, many heart patients simply don't find out when new treatment alternatives become available and don't know where to turn to get the information they need.

"It's a scary time when you're first diagnosed with a heart condition, and each new day can bring new worries," says Dr. David G. Affleck, a surgeon at Western Cardiovascular Associates in Salt Lake City, Utah. "I'm happy that we now offer a tremendous information resource for the millions of Americans who suffer from heart diseases and disorders. The best thing you can do to put your mind at ease is to get the facts, and then get help."

Dr. Affleck is one of a handful of cardiothoracic surgeons across the country with extensive experience in the minimally-invasive maze procedure, which has been shown to cure atrial fibrillation for over 90% of patients. Atrial fibrillation, or "afib," is a type of heart arrhythmia in which uncontrolled electrical signals in the upper chambers of the heart cause the heart to beat irregularly. Over 5 million Americans currently suffer from the condition, which causes almost one death per hour, every day of the year. Many people living with atrial fibrillation do not know that new procedures and technologies are available to treat and often cure the condition, and are still being told that they must learn to live with afib, rather than plan to live without it.

"The Web site is a great tool to get the word out about treatment options that are curing some of the most serious cardiovascular conditions and transforming my patients' lives," adds Dr. Affleck. "People are already coming to our Salt Lake City offices much better informed about the range of available treatments."

In addition to innovative procedures to treat atrial fibrillation, the doctors at Western Cardiovascular Associates also perform such procedures as aneurism repair, heart valve repair and replacement, and thoracic surgery.

Etna Interactive delivers solutions for the online media needs of a wide variety of medical professionals and health advocates. By assisting physicians, surgeons, and non-profit groups with their marketing needs, Etna helps increase public awareness of life-saving and life-enhancing procedures that allow patients to remain integral members of their communities and provide the freedom to enjoy more time with their loved ones. Learn more about Etna Interactive by visiting www.etnainteractive.com.