6 minute read
Celebrating 60 Years of Heart Care for Our Community
CARDIAC CARE
Adventist HealthCare White Oak Medical Center performed the first heart surgery in the Washington, D.C., region in 1962. It was then that Adventist HealthCare’s long-standing commitment to innovation and clinical excellence in heart care began.
CELEBRATING 60 YEARS OF HEART CARE
for Our Community
Providing 60 years of nationally recognized, comprehensive and compassionate heart care services to the community is a privilege and an honor. You can be assured that whenever you need heart or vascular care that you’ll get the latest, most comprehensive care close by at any of our hospitals. In recognition of this expanded commitment and our growing offerings, we have named our program across all our locations the Adventist HealthCare Heart & Vascular Institute. Our highly experienced teams are always advancing heart and vascular care so that you’ll have the latest medication, technologies, and treatments for a healthier body, mind, and spirit.
1962
First heart valve surgery in the Washington, D.C., area
1964
1971
Region’s first comprehensive heart care program • Region’s first open heart surgery • First heart catheterization
1972 1986
Region’s first coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) Region’s first comprehensive cardiac rehab program
1987
Region’s first balloon mitral valve repair
TODAY, our trusted care teams throughout the Adventist HealthCare Heart & Vascular Institute continue to bring the very best in heart and vascular care to our community.
UNPARALLELED HEART ATTACK CARE
“The most common critical illness is heart attack. Over the last few decades we’ve developed one of the most experienced and cohesive heart attack teams in the region,” said Dennis Friedman, MD, cardiologist and medical director for the Adventist HealthCare Heart & Vascular Institute.
Adventist HealthCare Shady Grove Medical Center in Rockville and White Oak Medical Center in Silver Spring are recognized by the American College of Cardiology as accredited Chest Pain Centers because of our team’s exceptional ability to diagnose and treat chest pain and heart attack patients, when every minute matters. In spring 2022, both hospitals again earned awards from the American Heart Association recognizing their high-quality, rapid and life-saving heart attack treatment.
HEART SURGERY IN TOP 10% NATIONWIDE
“Heart surgery is so much different than it was in 1962. It’s dramatically safer and much more sophisticated,” said Steven W. Boyce, MD, heart surgeon and chief of Cardiac Surgery.
Notably, White Oak Medical Center, the Adventist HealthCare hospital that performs heart surgery, again achieved the highest quality rating from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons in 2021 for excellent outcomes and patient care in three main types of heart surgery. The recognition places our program among the top 10% of U.S. hospitals. Being a trusted source for heart care starts in our cardiologists’ offices and continues throughout diagnosis and treatment at all Adventist HealthCare Heart & Vascular Institute locations. Our commitment to our patients is to listen, help to educate and offer individualized care.
Anees Ahsan, MD, cardiologist, chair of Cardiology, adds that over the program’s history there has always been a genuine focus on doing what’s best for the patient. “I’ve been part of this team for more than 30 years and the heart and compassion of our people to care for our patients is extraordinary.”
INNOVATION AND RESEARCH
Adventist HealthCare has been on the forefront of innovation since that first surgery. White Oak Medical Center is credited with many regional firsts in heart care, including the first heart bypass surgery, first carotid artery stent procedure and first comprehensive heart program in the region.
“Our community benefits today from the advancement of medical science, an active Adventist HealthCare Heart & Vascular Institute clinical research program that brings new medication, technologies and treatments to our patients and an insistence on innovation and providing new and advanced heart treatments,” added Fayaz Shawl, MD, cardiologist and medical director of Interventional Cardiology. Many of Adventist HealthCare’s heart treatments use minimally invasive approaches through small incisions that mean an easier recovery and quicker return to normal activities for patients.
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1988
World’s first use of percutaneous cardiopulmonary bypass support
1992
Region’s first accredited Chest Pain Centers
1995
Region’s first carotid artery stent procedure
2005 2003 1997
First in the D.C. area to earn the highestlevel Chest Pain Center accreditation
2010
Minimally invasive heart valve surgery program established Region’s first Dor procedure, where a patch bovine pericardium is used to remodel a heart
2011
Region’s first MRI-safe pacemaker implanted Nation’s first transmyocardial revascularization
2015 2018
Montgomery County’s first TAVR, transcatheter aortic valve replacement Montgomery County’s first MitraClip, transcatheter mitral valve repair replacement
2022
WATCHMAN procedure for AFib patients added as a treatment option
CONNECTING PEOPLE TO HEART-HEALTHY LIVING
Our Cardiac Rehabilitation program, which is a comprehensive, accredited exercise program to help prevent or treat heart problems and improve cardiovascular fitness, has long been a vital part of our heart care in Silver Spring and Rockville. Shady Grove Medical Center’s Cardiac Rehabilitation program started in 1986, soon after the hospital opened and its heart care program began.
The program offers supervised exercise, education for a heart-healthy life including nutrition, smoking cessation and stress and weight management. Many rehab patients choose to continue exercising at Shady Grove for ongoing monitoring and support from the caregivers and other people they’ve met through the program.
“We not only have one of the best cardiac teams, but we also have one of the most robust cardiac rehabilitation programs in the state,” Dr. Friedman explained.
Susan Glover, vice president for the Adventist HealthCare Heart & Vascular Institute, added, “The quality, excellence and compassion provided to our patients has helped hundreds of thousands of people in our community over the last 60 years get back to their lives and on a path toward heart-healthy living.”
Find a cardiologist near you. Visit AHCYou.com/F22Heart.
A New, Minimally Invasive Treatment for AFib
More than 6 million Americans are affected by atrial fibrillation, or AFib. It’s one of the most common irregular heartbeat conditions that causes a person’s heart to beat too fast.
WHEN left untreated, AFib can dislodge a blood clot and cause a stroke. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, AFib causes about 1 in 7 strokes, and they’re often more severe than strokes from other causes.
TREATING AFIB
Blood thinners are frequently used as a long-term treatment option for AFib. However, the expert heart care team at Adventist HealthCare White Oak Medical Center now offers a new treatment for AFib, the WATCHMAN™ heart implant. The implant is placed during a one-time, minimally invasive procedure and lowers the risk of bleeding and stroke in AFib patients.
“We’re giving patients a new option to manage their AFib and take control of their lives,” said Pirooz Mofrad, MD, medical director of Electrophysiology at White Oak Medical Center.
HOW WATCHMAN WORKS
The WATCHMAN procedure is very safe and takes less than an hour.
The cardiologist uses a sliding tube, called a catheter, to place the WATCHMAN implant, which looks like a little umbrella, into the left atrial appendage of the heart, where blood clots can form in people with AFib. The device closes the left atrial appendage of the heart and prevents a blood clot from forming and escaping, traveling to another part of the body and blocking blood supply to the brain, causing a stroke.
WATCHMAN patients often stay overnight at the hospital for observation and return home the next day.
WHY CHOOSE WATCHMAN
Anyone on blood thinners for AFib for an extended time is aware of the bleeding risks that come with this treatment, and the limitations the risks can place on their lives. With a minimally invasive treatment option, such as WATCHMAN, patients often experience a faster recovery and can more quickly return to the activities they love.
“After the WATCHMAN procedure, a patient’s quality of life can improve,” Dr. Mofrad said. “With WATCHMAN you don’t experience the limitations or restrictions you do with other treatment options.”
To learn more about WATCHMAN and whether it’s an option to treat your AFib, visit AHCYou.com/F22Watchman.
