At Northwest Hospital & Medical Center, we encourage you to learn more about heart disease – from warning signs to recovery. With so much information to choose from, it’s hard to figure out what’s legitimate and valuable – especially on the Internet – and what you should ignore. That’s why we’ve culled some of our favorite and useful resources on heart disease, not only at Northwest Hospital and in Seattle but on the Internet as well. Keep in mind that no information should replace your doctor’s advice or medical treatment.

Northwest Hospital Resources
In addition to our cardiology services at Northwest Hospital, these highlights may be especially useful in heart disease recovery and prevention.

• CPR: Free adult cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) classes are taught by Medic II firefighters on the third Tuesday of each month, 7-10 p.m. Call 206-368-1564 for more information.
• Mended Hearts: Offers support, help, and encouragement to heart disease patients and their families. For more information about this support group call 206-368-1564 or visit the Mended Hearts national web site.
• Nutrition Program: Provides education, counseling, and meal planning. Call 206-368-1919 for more information.
• Northwest Hospital Cardiology Team: a distinguished staff of cardiologists, this list includes names and phone numbers of our medical team.

Related Sites
With hundreds of thousands of medical sites on the Internet, it’s hard to wade through useful, legitimate and up-to-date information on heart disease and prevention. These are several sites we’ve found especially helpful at Northwest Hospital. This is not a complete list or an endorsement of any particular site; it’s simply meant to be a helpful reference.

• American Heart Association: Extensive information on fighting heart disease and stroke, with a special section devoted to women and heart disease. You can also call the Seattle chapter at 206-632-6881 or visit the Washington State web site.
• UW Medicine Regional Heart Center: Northwest Hospital is teamed with UW Physicians in an open heart program, providing patients with a full range of cardiac services.
• Risk Assessment Tool: The National Cholesterol Education Program's website offers the Framingnam Heart Study's risk assessment tool for estimating the 10-year risk for "hard" coronary heart disease outcomes (myocardial infarction and coronary death) in adults aged 20 and older who do not have heart disease or diabetes.
• CPR: You Can Do It: This public service site features graphics, text, and videos on how to do cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). There’s even a CPR pocket guide that you can print out from your computer.
• Cardiac Rehabilitation and Prevention Information: This site, from the Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, offers a broad range of patient information on lifestyle and medical topics about heart disease.
• HeartPoint.com: Excellent educational site, featuring captivating multimedia and animations of hearts and heart diseases.
• Heart Information Network: This independent educational Web site was founded by a heart patient and a physician.
• The Heart: A Virtual Exploration: Take a fascinating virtual tour of the human heart, or listen to an array of audio clips of heartbeats. The Franklin Institute sponsors this site.
• Healthfinder: This government-sponsored site is filled with health topics, including a special report on heart disease.
• National Heart, Lung & Blood Institute: This government-sponsored web site is part of the National Institutes of Health, and offers extensive information on heart disease and prevention. Includes interactive section on lowering your blood cholesterol.
• Nova Online: Cut to the Heart: Excellent photographs of hearts, along with information on heart disease from this PBS Television special.
• Diet: Follow the dietary guidelines set by the American Heart Association for healthy adults.
• Body Mass Index: Calculate your body mass index (BMI), which doctors use to help determine whether a patient is overweight or obese – both factors in developing heart disease.
• Cookbooks: These American Heart Association cookbooks offer flavorful ways to eat, keeping both your heart and taste buds in mind.