Leader0208b

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Saturday, February 8, 2014 • Page 1B

Jazz up your workout By Betsy Denson betsy@theleadernews.com

The Energizer bunny doesn’t have anything on Oak Forest resident Jane Luco. At her recent Jazzercise class at Garden Oaks Baptist Church, Luco was in command of the room, introducing new members and offering welcome to returning students - giving special props to one woman battling breast cancer. After the preliminaries, she begins the class with an enthusiasm that is hard not to catch. Her passion is even more noteworthy for the fact she’s been teaching classes for more than 30 years. Luco’s franchise ranks in the top 1% of more than 8500 Jazzercise franchises worldwide and is the longest-running in the Houston area. “I didn’t play sports, but [did] lots of cheerleading in West, Texas and my girlhood ambition was to be a go-go dancer,” said Luco. “I joined a Jazzercise class in Austin after graduating from UT in the late 1970s, attended class for about two years, then got my Jazzercise

certification/franchise just as we were making our move to Houston.” Luco and husband Jerry lived first in the Heights, and have been Oak Forest homeowners since 1991. Since 2003, all her classes are offered in the gym of Garden Oaks Baptist Church. She began teaching at the Masterson YWCA, and then owned and operated “Jazzercise Studio 19” on 19th Street, with a later move to the Baptist Temple Church Gym. “I love our location at the GOBC,” she said. “It’s easily accessible to so many neighborhoods, and for folks who work downtown, we needed a very large space with lots of parking to accommodate all our loyal members.” Luco said that Jazzercise is a total-body dance-fitness workout. “First and foremost, it really is fun. Folks will not remain motivated if they don’t enjoy their workout.” It includes cardio and strength-training with weights/resistance bands for all muscle groups as well as See Jazzercise, P. 2B

Memorial Hermann Northwest Hospital receives another two years of accreditation Memorial Hermann Northwest Hospital has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® for the second time for its knee replacement and hip replacement surgery by demonstrating compliance with The Joint Commission’s national standards for health care quality and safety in disease-specific care. The certification award recognizes Memorial Hermann Northwest Hospital’s dedication to continuous compliance with The Joint Commission’s stateof-the- art standards. After undergoing a rigorous on-site review in the fall, a Joint Commission expert evaluated Memorial Hermann Northwest Hospital for compliance with standards of care specific to the needs of patients and families, including infection prevention and control, leadership and medication management. “In achieving Joint Commission certification, Memorial Hermann Northwest has demonstrated its commitment to the highest level of care for its patients with the need for hip and knee replacement,” said Jean Range, M.S., R.N., C.P.H.Q. executive director, Disease-Specific Care Certification, The Joint Commission. “Certification is a voluntary process and I commend Memorial Hermann Northwest hospital for successfully undertaking this challenge to elevate its standard of care and instill confidence in the community it serves.” The Joint Commission, known for its rigorous evaluations before it issues certifications and accreditation, only issues its approval for orthopedic joint replacement programs that have established a well-run disease-management program. Memorial Hermann Northwest is the only center in Houston to achieve disease specific certification in hip and knee joint replacement. “With Joint Commission certification, we are making a significant investment in quality on a day-to-day basis from

Jane Luco has taught classes for 33 years. She currently holds all of her classes at Garden Oaks Baptist Church. (Photo by Betsy Denson)

See Accreditation, P. 2B

Heart of the Matter

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Dr. Michael Macris, M.D. , who is affiliated with Memorial Hermann Northwest Hospital, said minimally invasive heart surgery has become more common in recent years.

Tiny Instruments, Small Incisions Can Mean Less-Invasive Heart Surgery When merited by a patient’s heart condition and health, minimally invasive heart surgery can reduce pain, bleeding, risk of infection and time on the ventilator. As better instrumentation has made the techniques more “user-friendly” for cardiac surgeons, minimally invasive approaches have become more common, says Michael Macris, M.D., a specialist in cardiovascular thoracic surgery. Trained in open heart procedures as well as minimally invasive techniques, Dr. Macris is affiliated with Memorial Hermann Northwest Hospital. The field of minimally invasive heart surgery appeals to Dr. Macris because his patients “have universally been very happy to avoid having a major

incision.” He shared his perspective on the minimally invasive approach in the following Q&A: What is minimally invasive heart surgery? Minimally invasive heart surgery refers to procedures performed without the use of the traditional breastbone-splitting incision, or sternotomy. Rather, the procedure is performed by approaching the heart through tiny incisions between the ribs. Among cardiac surgeons, there’s a popular saying: “The pain spared the patient is transferred to the surgeon,” meaning that the minimally invasive approaches are technically more demanding. Among other things, the smaller incisions make visualization more limited, so only the surgeon has a

clear line of sight; the other surgical team members watch the procedure through the surgeon’s headmounted camera. How common is minimally invasive heart surgery? Approximately 95 percent of heart surgeries are still performed with the traditional breastbone incision; only 5 percent are done with a minimally invasive technique, according to the Society of Thoracic Surgeons database. Some of those 5 percent may still include operations in which only part of the sternum is split, so truly bone-sparing approaches

See Heart Matters, P. 2B

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