Regional Heart Center To Present

‘Ten Ways To Prevent A Heart Attack’

SOUTHBURY — Danbury Hospital will host an evening Medical Town Meeting, “Ten Ways to Prevent a Heart Attack,” on Thursday, June 23, from 5:30 to 7:30 pm, in the conference room of the Danbury Hospital Health Center, Southbury Medical Building, 22 Old Waterbury Road.

The program will include blood pressure screenings, light refreshments, a lecture, and question-and-answer session. RSVP is requested by calling 262-4288.

Speakers will include Michael M. Frymus, MD, chief of cardiothoracic surgery, and Kevin Bill, program director of the Marcus Cardiac Rehabilitation Center at Danbury Hospital. They are team members of The Regional Heart and Vascular Center, which began its open-heart surgery program in January 2005.

As of June 1, Danbury Hospital has performed more than 70 open-heart surgeries, including coronary artery bypass and heart valve procedures. Based on the 2004 state approval to begin an advanced program for cardiovascular disease, Danbury Hospital will also implement angioplasty — the standard of care for treating heart attacks —late this summer. Danbury Hospital has assembled an experienced team with a track record for clinical and service excellence to address heart attacks and all forms of cardiovascular disease, a hospital spokesman said.

Dr Frymus is leading the development of the cardiothoracic surgical program with more than 15 years of experience and interests in adult cardiac surgery that include valve repair and replacement, off-pump coronary revascularization, radial arterial graft conduits, minimally invasive approaches, and mechanical circulatory support devices. Board certified in cardiothoracic and general surgery, he came to Danbury Hospital in 2004 from Montefiore Medical Center in New York City, where he served as a cardiothoracic surgeon at the Montefiore-Einstein Heart Center and an assistant professor of cardiothoracic surgery at Albert Einstein College of Medicine since 1992.

Prior to completing a residency in cardiothoracic surgery at Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine in 1989, he completed a general surgery internship and residency at David Grant USAF Medical Center, Travis AFB, California, and Waterbury Hospital, respectively. Between 1981 and 1992, Dr Frymus completed military service with the United States Air Force, attaining the rank of major and earning an Air Force Commendation Medal for improving the delivery of surgical care at USAF Hospital, Loring AFB, Maine. He is a graduate of Georgetown University School of Medicine in Washington, D.C., and Fairfield University in Connecticut.

For information about Danbury Hospital, visit danburyhospital.org or call 797-7247.