Stephen Cantor M.D.,F.A.C.C.
Science and Ideas Group Heart Failure: the Bad News and the Good News with Dr. Stephen Cantor
Stephen Cantor, M.D.,F.A.C.C., is an academically oriented adult cardiologist who spent 25 years living in the San Francisco Bay Area where he trained, taught and researched with UC Davis for several years. He was in private cardiology practice on Pill Hill for 19 years and taught as an Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine at UCSF and subsequently at the Midwestern Medical School of Osteopathy in Glendale, AZ. With the rapid introduction of managed care to Northern California in the early 90’s, he moved to Prescott, AZ, a growing community in the high desert at 500’. The need for contemporary cardiovascular care in this retirement community being profound, he brought along the latest insights and developed a state-of-the-art cardiology/cardiac surgery program. Outline of Presentation: Heart failure is the most common cause of hospital admission in the over-65 age group. There are two forms, one being weakness in emptying of the pump, the left ventricle; the other is resistance to filling. Dr. Cantor will focus on the inevitable downhill course of the former. This has led to a paradigm shift in the understanding of the cardiac physiological disturbance, largely due to activation of the neuro-endocrine system (which he will explain). Treatments to block this response have been developed. Coronary revascularization with stenting or coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) have contributed where required. Device therapies have made vital contributions with intracardiac defibrillation and cardiac resynchronization pacemaker therapy. The combined effects of all these advances have led to the potential for remarkable improvements in long-term outlook for patients. .