PHOENIX, Nov. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- CVMD.org, the first web site to offer cardiovascular education audio and video podcasts, celebrates its first year of podcasting. On October 27, 2005, the Arizona Heart Institute (AHI) launched CVMD.org to give people an easy way to obtain information on cardiovascular disease, prevention, diagnosis and treatment. CVMD.org also offers podcasts to keep cardiovascular professionals updated on the latest technology available for cardiovascular care.

AHI cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Grayson Wheatley, founder and medical director of CVMD.org, developed a new method of helping patients learn about cardiovascular disease in order to improve patient understanding about America's number one killer. "Quality and useful medical information is quickly becoming another tool which patients can use to understand their cardiovascular health, and we believe that world-wide access to digital cardiovascular information is the next wave in health care. As a result, we have opened our proverbial medical doors to give patients unprecedented access to cardiovascular information in the hopes that we can make a difference in their lives," said Dr. Wheatley. CVMD.org has audio and video programs that can be viewed or downloaded to a computer or iPod(R) from http://www.cvmd.org/ or iTunes(R).

There are now more than 100 public and professional podcasts, and more programs are added every week. The newest segments added to CVMD.org include: "Essence of the Heart," focusing on stress reduction, and "Heart Healthy You," diet and nutrition podcasts to help people make heart-healthy food choices. Cardiovascular professionals can view a PODCASE to see surgical procedures featuring the latest technology or watch interviews of other cardiovascular professionals. Clinical students can use CVMD.org podcasts to learn more about cardiovascular care. Physicians or nurses can refer patients to CVMD.org where they can see videos with animations that explain cardiovascular disease and treatment.

In 1971, Dr. Edward B. Diethrich established AHI, the first outpatient cardiovascular clinic in the United States. Since then, AHI has stayed on the forefront of technology, playing a global role in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease. CVMD.org expands the role of prevention using the latest technology to communicate cardiovascular information from a world leader in heart care.

CONTACT: Aubrey Fox, +1-602-707-3519, or cell, +1-480-612-4233, for
Arizona Heart Institute

Web site: http://www.azheart.com/
http://www.cvmd.org/