Dr. Seth Trifiro, a newly-minted cardiovascular specialist who joined Sebastian River Medical Center this fall, is bringing a fresh burst of energy and enthusiasm to the task of preventing strokes, TIAs (transient ischemic attacks, or mini-strokes) and heart attacks, a mission championed by the American Heart Association, which says, “Preventing heart disease and all cardiovascular diseases means making smart choices now that will pay off the rest of your life.”
Trifiro says a top priority is “to assess how ‘at risk’ a patient is. A large part of what I do in the office is targeting the decrease of cardiovascular risk. And by cardiovascular risk, I mean vascular events” such as TIAs.
For the record, the American Stroke Association points out the term “mini-stroke” is misleading because – to some – it may imply there’s not much to worry about. But these events, are actually “warning strokes.”
Symptoms of transient ischemic attacks may include sudden weakness or numbness of the face, arm or leg – especially on one side of the body – as well as confusion or trouble speaking, and the American Stroke Association says “they should be taken very, very seriously.”
Trifiro’s says his mission is to “identify ways in which I can mitigate cardiovascular risks. How can I reduce patients’ risk of possibly having one of these events and possibly dying?”
Weight is one obvious risk factor Trifiro discusses with his patients. “That gets to the lifestyle intervention – ways in which I can help and encourage patients and discuss . . . what the recommendations from the American College of Cardiology are. These are things we can go over in the office . . . [to help a patient] alter their lifestyle to hopefully live a longer, healthy life.”
Most of the recommendations are things people probably already know – don’t smoke, get more exercise, and eat a healthy diet low in saturated fat, trans fat and sodium as well as including more fruits and vegetables, fiber-rich whole grains, fish, nuts, legumes and seeds, and even trying to eat some meals without any meat at all – but hearing them again face-to-face from an earnest young doctor can give them more weight and significance.
At the same time, Trifiro says he tries to avoid a dictatorial list of don’ts. “I tell my patients these are the numbers. These are your risk factors. This is where you are on the spectrum. For a lot of people, it’s a wake-up call and it motivates them to really want to make those changes. I use these tools to help motivate the patients. I don’t want to just say don’t do this . . . I want to say do this instead for this reason.”
So far, he has been pleased with his patients’ response.
Here in the Vero area, says Trifiro, “You have a population that is very motivated. When they come to the office their knowledge about health and healthcare-related facts is well above average. It’s quite impressive.
“They’re playing tennis. They’re swimming. You have people who are motivated because they’re living a healthy life and they want to continue that. I think I’m fortunate to have patients like that.”
Trifiro then pauses and says, “We’re getting better at predicting risk and assessing the patients who are on a trajectory for having early heart attacks, strokes or death from one of these diseases. That’s a shift in medical thinking. We’re not just waiting until a patient has a problem; we’re trying to prevent the problem.”
Dr. Seth Trifiro is with the Sebastian River Medical Group. His office is at 920 37th Place, Suite 105 in Vero Beach. The phone number is 772-562-8570.
