Heart and Vascular Institute of Wisconsin

29/07/2025

Thank you, voters!

Once again, we are honored to have been voted by the community as the Best Cardiology Clinic/Hospital in both the 2025 Post Crescent Best of the Valley and Oshkosh Northwestern Best of Winnebago County contests.

Cardiovascular disease remains America's #1 killer, and we will continue to do our best to provide excellent care to the tens of thousands of patients who entrust us help them battle the wide array of cardiovascular conditions.

On behalf of all the Physicians and Associates at the Heart and Vascular Institute of Wisconsin locations, thank you for your support!

24/07/2025

We are very proud of Heart and Vascular Institute cardiologist Dr. Carrie Chapman. She was recently awarded the Amazing Angel award by Ascension Health. She was nominated by a patient who she helped through a challenging clinical scenario. You can watch the news segment that highlights the award ceremony.

Congratulations Dr. Chapman!

APPLETON, Wis. (WFRV) – A heart attack survivor found a special way to show his appreciation for one of the doctors who helped him. Back in February, Jim Hansen had a heart attack near the baggage claim at the Appleton International Airport. The quick actions of a bystander who knew CPR saved his ...

16/07/2025

Recently the Fox Valley Humane Society put out a notice they were low on food supplies for their animals. That's when Melissa Gibbs-the Heart and Vascular Clinic Manager -sprang into action to organize a food drive with her coworkers.

The end result was hundreds of pounds of dog and cat food being delivered today to the Humane Society!

A great job by everyone who contributed!

Pictured are Melissa on the left and Sheri Krueger (Director of Cardiovascular Services) on the right.

06/05/2025

We would be honored if you voted for us in the area newspaper "Best Of" contests.

Once again, the newspapers in Appleton, Green Bay and Oshkosh are holding their annual "Best Of" contests and once again the Heart and Vascular Institute of Wisconsin has been nominated in a variety of categories.

Please consider logging into the links below to cast your vote for us. You can vote once each day and the contest runs through Thursday, May 15th.

You can find us in the Health and Beauty category under Best Cardiology Clinic. In Oshkosh, we are also nominated for Best Hospital.

1. For Appleton open this link and go the Beauty and Health section and vote for HVI in the Cardiology Clinic category: https://postcrescent.gannettcontests.com/2025-Best-of-the-Valley-WI-Communitys-Choice-Awards/gallery?group=514172

2. For Oshkosh, open this link and vote for HVI in both the Cardiology/Clinic and Hospital/Medical Center categories: https://thenorthwestern.gannettcontests.com/2025-Best-of-Winnebago-Communitys-Choice-Awards/

3. For Green Bay, open this link and go to the Beauty and Health section and vote for HVI in the Cardiology Clinic category: https://greenbaypressgazette.gannettcontests.com/2025-Best-of-the-Bay-WI-Communitys-Choice-Awards/

You are eligible to win $250 if you cast votes across many categories.

Thank you for your consideration.

Vote for the top nominees in each category and be entered to win a $250 gift card!

25/02/2025

Digesting The Relationship Between Food And Cardiovascular Disease

It's very common for patients to ask me what they should be eating. After all, people are constantly bombarded with food advertisements as well as headlines touting the value of intermittent fasting, mediterranean eating, DASH, Keto, and many others. It can be overwhelming.

While following a specific diet can be healthful for some, I feel a better approach is to adopt a heart healthy philosophy to eating that emphasizes the foods that are best to put into your body while minimizing those foods that are known to increase your risk for heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity.

Foods to avoid include processed meats, red meat, high-fat dairy, fried foods, refined grains, alcohol and most packaged foods. It's not realistic for most people to completely eliminate consumption of these foods. Instead, a heart healthy mindset means that you understand the negative impact they have on your future health and seek out better alternatives.

What are better alternatives and how do you incorporate them into daily living? Here are a few tips:

#1 - Go easy on seasonings to limit salt intake
#2 - Incorporate healthy fats such as olive oil, salmon and avocados
#3 - Build your meals around a variety of fresh fruits and veggies
#4 - Increase fiber intake by using oats, whole grains and beans
#5 - Stick to lean proteins such as unprocessed chicken, turkey, salmon and tuna
#6 - Stay hydrated throughout the day by drinking water, unsweetened beverages, or having coffee and tea without sugary and fatty additives
#7 - Drink alcohol sparingly

If you want to follow a more specific dietary model, the Mediterranean, DASH, and vegetarian diets have the most clinical evidence for preventing (or slowing the impact of) cardiovascular disease.

And here's an added benefit of adopting a heart-healthy eating mindset, evidence shows that it can also reduce your risk of cancer.

I hope you've enjoyed these postings during Heart Month.

Nene Ugoeke, MD
Interventional Cardiologist

20/02/2025

Happy Valventines Day!

In case you are wondering, that is not a typo in the title. That's because this Saturday, February 22nd is Heart Valve Disease Awareness Day, otherwise known as "Valventines Day". Thus, heart valve disease will be the topic this week.

Your heart has 4 valves - tricuspid, pulmonary, mitral and aortic and each plays a vital role. Heart valve disease occurs when the valves don't open or close correctly and therefore can't adequately control blood flow and direction. The causes of heart valve disease can be caused by a number of issues including congenital defects, infections, age-related deterioration, weakened heart tissue or other causes such as trauma, radiation/chemotherapy, and even some medications.

The most common heart valve issue is Aortic Stenosis, when your aortic valve does open properly and restricts blood flow from the heart to the aorta and the rest of your body. This is a serious condition and can lead to heart failure. It's estimated that 13% of Americans aged 75 and older have aortic stenosis but younger people can have aortic stenosis with no or mild symptoms. You can use this Aortic Stenosis Symptom Tracker if you suspect this for yourself or a loved one.

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Treatments for aortic stenosis will vary based on the severity of the disease along with the patient's age and health status and range from medical management to replacing the valve itself. Aortic valve replacement can occur via open heart surgery, where your existing valve is removed, and a new biological or mechanical valve is implanted in its place. Or a cardiologist can perform a less invasive procedure by threading a biologic valve up to your heart through a blood vessel and expanding it in place within your old valve. Each aortic stenosis patient is carefully evaluated to determine which of these treatments are best for them.

Next week, my last of 4 postings for Heart Month, will address the role of diet and nutrition in heart issues.

Until then,

Nene Ugoeke, MD
Interventional Cardiologist

14/02/2025

Should older adults take aspirin as a cardiovascular disease prevention?

As we end the second week of Heart Month (happy Valentines Day!) I am sharing the second of 4 topics this month. This week I am offering a perspective on whether it is appropriate for older adults to take aspirin to help prevent cardiovascular issues. It is an issue I am often asked about by my patients since there has been a widespread perception that a daily dose of baby aspirin is the right thing to do. The answer is that "it depends" and that taking aspirin is not recommended for everyone.

In 2021 the American Heart Association (AHA), American College of Cardiology (ACC), and the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) all recommended against initiating low-dose aspirin (81 mg daily) for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease in adults 60 years or older. The reason was that the benefits of taking aspirin were outweighed by a greater risk of bleeding events caused by the aspirin.

These organizations further recommended that there should be physician and patient shared decision-making regarding the daily use of low-dose aspirin in adults 40 to 59 years of age with a 10% or greater risk of cardiovascular disease and without an increased risk of bleeding.

Although aspirin may seem like a harmless medication, because of its blood-thinning capabilities, aspirin can increase the risk of bleeding in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and the risk of hemorrhagic stroke (caused by bleeding inside or on the surface of the brain).

What I want to emphasize is that there isn’t a simple “yes” or “no” answer to the question of whether to use low-dose aspirin to prevent CVD (cardiovascular disease). For each patient the answer will depend on a variety of factors, including a person’s age, risk factors, and medical history and should always be discussed with your physician.

Next week I will post on another topic.

Nene Ugoeke, MD
Heart and Vascular Institute Interventional Cardiologist

07/02/2025

The Significance of National Go Red Day

Today, Friday, Feb. 7, is when people across the U.S. will “Go Red” once again to raise awareness around women's heart health as part of the American Heart Association's celebration.

According to Heart and Vascular Institute cardiologist Nene Ugoeke, MD, “The Go Red for Women movement was started to bring attention to the fact that heart disease is the leading cause of death for females. Although heart disease has primarily been considered a men’s health issue, it can affect women at any stage of life, making it crucial for women to understand their personal risk factors and family history. Life events such as pregnancy and menopause can also uniquely influence women's heart health, underscoring the importance of staying informed. Data shows that 45% of women over 20 years old are living with some form of cardiovascular disease. Each of the next 3 weeks during Heart Month I will share a short message to help both men and women understand that heart disease is not something to be overlooked.”

24/01/2025

We are very excited to welcome interventional cardiologist Dr. Nene Ugoeke to the Heart and Vascular Institute of Wisconsin!

Dr. Ugoeke attended medical school at the University of North Carolina, did her cardiology Fellowship at Jersey Shore University Medical Center, and did her interventional cardiology Fellowship at Rutgers University Medical Center.

She is now seeing office patients at our main location in Appleton (5045 W Grande Market Drive) and will be doing interventional procedures at the area hospitals.

Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with my husband, listening to music, and taking spin classes. She also enjoys fiction thriller novels, including law fiction.

28/09/2024

Fox Cities Heart Walk

Thank you to the large number of people who showed up on a beautiful morning for the annual Heart Walk at Fox Cities Stadium. Cardiologist Dr. Carrie Chapman was the keynote speaker at the event and shared an inspiring story of how a young woman's life was saved because people at her school were trained and ready to utilize their Automated External Defibrillator (AED) and provide CPR when she suffered cardiac arrest. Dr. Chapman spoke about her efforts to support Wisconsin legislation that would result in a program so all schools would have a plan in place to take action when someone suffers cardiac arrest at their school including being able to administer CPR and quickly access and utilize their AED.

05/09/2024

Can a blood test predict a woman's 30-year risk for Heart Disease?

Breaking news this week from Heart and Vascular Institute cardiologist Dr. Carrie Chapman. "An interesting article was published August 31st in the New England Journal of Medicine, which proposes more widespread testing of women using three biomarkers to better understand cardiovascular risk. The study looked at LDL (bad) cholesterol, which is traditionally monitored, along with two other markers CRP and Lp(a). CRP is a marker of inflammation and Lp(a) is another fat in our bloodstream that can be found in up to 20% of the population. Those individuals who had elevations in all three markers were at much higher risk for developing cardiovascular disease even in the absence of traditional risk factors like diabetes, smoking, obesity and high blood pressure. Although we have well studied treatments for elevated LDL cholesterol, there is still much more to learn about how we treat elevated CRP and Lp(a). Identifying persons at risk; however, is the first step towards prevention."

MONDAY, Sept. 2, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Could a simple blood test help predict a woman’s three-decade risk of heart disease?Yes, claims new research that foun

20/08/2024

The Heart and Vascular Employee Events Committee would like to give an enormous thank you to everyone who donated cash or brought in school supplies for our Back-to-School drive through the Salvation Army. We are speechless by the amount of supplies we can provide and it’s such a great feeling that we are able to help set kids up for a successful year. Below are the total numbers of the supplies. We truly are blessed and honored to help our community, and it’s all because of you.