A Semiannual Publication of Augusta University Heart and Cardiovascular Services
Heart & Cardiovascular
SPRING 2017
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In This Issue SPRING 2017
INTRODUCTION____________________________ 3-7 INNOVATIONS IN PEDIATRIC INTERVENTIONAL CARDIOLOGY______________________________ 8 INNOVATIONS IN ADULT INTERVENTIONAL CARDIOLOGY______________________________ 10 A MESSAGE FROM A FORMER FELLOW______ 12 Heart & Cardiovascular is produced semiannually
CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE FELLOWSHIP TRAINING_____________________ 13
by Augusta University Heart and Cardiovascular Services and the Augusta University Division of
FELLOWSHIP MATCH RESULTS_______________ 14
Communications and Marketing. Please direct comments or questions to 706-721-4997.
GRAND ROUNDS CALENDAR________________ 14 SAVE THE DATE_____________________________ 16
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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Dear Readers, It gives me great pleasure to introduce the spring 2017 issue of Heart & Cardiovascular to you. This represents the third issue under my editorship, and this has been an illuminating experience for me. There is certainly extensive goodwill and name recognition for the Augusta University brand. We proudly uphold the traditions of the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University (MCG) as the third oldest medical school in the southeast and as the 13th oldest in the country. Since MCG’s founding in 1828, many auspicious achievements in cardiovascular medicine and surgery have occurred here and within its affiliated health system, Augusta University Health. Just to name a couple: 1. The first cardiac surgery on coronary bypass in Georgia was performed in 1956 by Dr. Robert Ellison supported by Dr. William Hamilton and the coronary bypass machine, which Dr. Hamilton invented. 2. Alpha and beta receptors were discovered by Regents Professor in Pharmacology and Toxicology, Dr. Raymond Ahlquist in 1948. He is also a recipient of the prestigious Lasker Research Prize and his co-collaborator, Sir James Black, went on to win the Nobel Prize. We are confident that if Dr. Raymond Ahlquist were still alive when the Nobel Prize was given for research into beta blockers, he would have shared in this auspicious event. We’re looking forward to our upcoming ACC 2017 MCG Cardiology Mixer at 6:30 p.m. March 18 at the Marriott Marquis in Washington, D.C. during the Annual Scientific Sessions of the American College of Cardiology. We hope to see many of you there, and we’re planning to have a larger room than we had last year to accommodate an anticipated increased attendance. On this occasion, we will update attendees of happenings at their alma mater, as well as plans for the future. On August 19 and 20, we will have our second annual Kimmerling MCG Faculty and Graduate Cardiovascular Showcase 2017. It will be held again in the beautiful J. Harrold Harrison, M.D. Education Commons and will feature graduates from our training program, as well as heart and cardiovascular MCG faculty. The sixth annual Update in Cardiovascular Disease will be held at the J. Harrold Harrison, M.D. Education Commons as well on November 4-5, 2017. On July 13-16, 2017, The Cardiovascular Summit at Kiawah will take place at the Kiawah Island Golf Resort, Kiawah Island, South Carolina. Thanks for your engagement with and support of Augusta University Heart and Cardiovascular services. We strongly believe that we have a bright future ahead of us and strive to keep all stakeholders fully informed of and engaged in the developments in our programs. Best regards and happy reading of the latest issue of Heart & Cardiovascular! Vincent Robinson, MD, FACC, FRCP(C)
Professor & Garrison Distinguished Chair, Cardiovascular Medicine Professor of Medicine and Radiology
Director, Cardiology Fellowship Co-Director, Nuclear Cardiology
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HEART & CARDIOVASCULAR
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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Glen E. Garrison, MD September 9, 1932 – February 5, 2017 It is with sadness and a deep sense of regret that I announce to you that our longtime faculty member, Dr. Glen E. Garrison, passed away peacefully at approximately 4:30 a.m. February 5, 2017. Dr. Garrison was a multifaceted member of our division for the past 33 years plus. Dr. Garrison received a bachelor’s degree in general science from Wake Forest University in 1954, followed by his medical degree from Bowman Gray School of Medicine in 1958. On June 8, 1958, he married Mary Elizabeth Gambrel. The Garrisons lived in Charlottesville, Virginia; Claxton, Georgia; and Durham, North Carolina, while Dr. Garrison completed his medical residency at the University of Virginia Hospital, research in the Heart Disease Control Program of the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) and fellowship in cardiology at Duke University Medical Center, respectively. In 1965, Dr. Garrison accepted a faculty position at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University (MCG), and the Garrisons moved to Augusta, where they lived for more than 50 years. He came to MCG fresh from the USPHS, where he specialized in epidemiology, to serve as the first head of the department of community medicine at MCG. He served as director of the Evans County Study, the major cardiovascular epidemiologic study prior to the Framingham Heart Study. This study, which was funded by the National Institutes of Health from 1958 to 1995 produced more than 560 published papers. Dr. Garrison served as a director of continuing education from 1965 to 1986. In 1965, he started the annual Primary Care and Family Practice Symposium, which still lives on. He was named professor of medicine in the Division of Cardiology in 1973 and professor emeritus of cardiology in 2000. He also served as an attending cardiologist at the Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center from 1965 through 2016. He established two endowments at Augusta University to support education, emphasizing the fundamental principles of the history and physical examination: the Glen E. Garrison Annual Award to Cardiology Fellows and the Glen E. Garrison, MD Distinguished Chair in Cardiovascular Medicine. He’s also taught financial management to physicians through 10 years with a yearly course. He was director of continuing medical education at MCG for many years. Dr. Garrison felt very passionate about clinical cardiology. All our fellows, past and present, can attest to his deep knowledge of the surface electrocardiogram. One of our electrophysiology specialists, who trained at Harvard Medical School, would call Dr. Garrison from time to time to discuss the findings of specific EKGs to make use of his insights into the surface EKG, which would always be borne out when intracardiac recordings were obtained. He would take pleasure in examining the patient and predicting what the pulmonary artery systolic pressure would be at subsequent cardiac catheterization. The amazing thing was that he was always right! Dr. Garrison’s memory will endure in his philanthropy and thoughtful endowment to maintain the clinical cardiovascular disease assessments as a cornerstone of the practice of clinical cardiology. In September 2015, he endowed the first Glen E. Garrison Distinguished Chair in cardiovascular medicine at MCG. I am, indeed, fortunate to be the first recipient of this enduring contribution to cardiovascular medicine at MCG. He also contributed significant resources annually to the cardiovascular disease fellowship training program, and our chief cardiology fellow each year receives a stipend from this endowment and is designated the Garrison chief cardiology fellow. 4
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MESSAGE FROM CARDIOTHORACIC SURGERY
Dear Readers,
Welcome to a new year with new opportunities and new challenges. I trust everyone has had a great holiday season. In keeping with many of our New Year’s resolutions, more evidence of the benefits of exercise has emerged from Baylor University in Texas. In a cohort of 1,600 patients followed over eight years after CABG, those who exercised regularly had approximately 30 percent lower evidence of cardiac “events,” lower evidence of depression and much better control of their metabolic profile. Perhaps cardiac rehab should be continued lifelong! As we enter the New Year, the fate of the Affordable Care Act hangs in the balance. One thing is certain, though: Any new plan will have quality measures as its basis for compensation. Providers will be held responsible for the continuum of care both in the hospital as well as post-discharge. To facilitate better interaction and communication between various groups of providers, we have acquired the services of a care manager, Alison Lovett, RN, who can be reached at 706-7213226.
M. Vinayak Kamath, MD
Robert G. Ellison Distinguished Chair of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Professor and Chief, Cardiothoracic Surgery
706-721-3226 In keeping with national trends, the acuity index of CT surgery patients has kamath@augusta.edu risen dramatically last year with roughly a 25 percent increase in STS risk scores, primarily from severe LV dysfunction and renal compromise at presentation. Other changes we have noticed in our practice last year, perhaps as a reflection of social trends in general, are increased prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea, increased incidences of silent coronary disease and discovery of previously hardly known organisms causing endocarditis.
More on these topics later. A new hybrid operating room suite is to come online at Augusta University Medical Center this summer. It will allow us to perform new and developing hybrid procedures, including percutaneous valves, more precisely and safely in the future. Finally, please mark your calendars for our annual perfusion conference to be held at the Savannah Westin July 1-3, 2017. As always, your thoughts and suggestions are welcome.
He has also endowed an annual lectureship, the Glen E. Garrison lecture in the cardiovascular clinical examination. We have been fortunate to have two distinguished lecturers providing this lectureship thus far. Dr. Thomas Marrie from Halifax, Nova Scotia, outstanding clinician and infectious disease expert visited our campus in May 2016 and presented three lectures in conjunction with the Garrison lectureship. Dr. Garrison will be sorely missed. He inspired a generation of cardiovascular disease trainees with the importance and capabilities of the clinical cardiovascular examination to include bedside examination of the patient, chest x-ray and electrocardiogram as well. We thank him for his work here at MCG and that he saw it fit to leave us with enduring mementos and continuing scholarship to always point the way to how he viewed cardiology. 5 121706 - HEART AND CARDIO SPRING 2017.indd 5
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HEART & CARDIOVASCULAR
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MESSAGE FROM ADULT CARDIOLOGY
Dear Readers,
It has truly been an honor to serve as interim chief of the Division of Cardiology at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University. As we transition to a new year and new division leadership, we have so much for which to be thankful. First and foremost, we are blessed to have such a talented group of faculty members who share both a passion for excellence and a deep respect for each other. The strong bonds between our faculty have helped us to overcome even the most difficult challenges and rise to a higher level of success. We have undertaken many new clinical initiatives while maintaining an outstanding level of clinical productivity. Our teaching programs are stronger and better organized, and we have hosted a number of successful CME and alumni events over the past year. Of course, our faculty could not do what they do without outstanding support, and we are blessed to have the finest administrative and clinical support staff and an equally superb cadre of cardiology fellows.
Neal L. Weintraub, MD
Professor and GRA Kupperman Eminent Scholar in Cardiovascular Medicine, Associate Director of the Vascular Biology Center for Translational Research
The accomplishments made by our faculty during the past year are truly too numerous to recount. However, I would like to highlight some of them here, and I know that you will be just as proud of our faculty as I am. Clinical care is at the core of everything we do, and our faculty members, staff and fellows work together every day to deliver the finest clinical care to our patients. All of us in the division have been in awe of Dr. Deepak Kapoor and his willingness to take on even the most complex and high-risk patients with coronary artery disease and his ability to safely and successfully accomplish what others cannot. This past year, the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University faculty senate formally recognized Dr. Kapoor by bestowing upon him the Patient Care Award for his outstanding clinical expertise in interventional cardiology.
Drs. John W. Thornton III, Ruchit Shah and Pascha Schafer at the Georgia Chapter of the American College of Cardiology in Washington, D.C.
Cardiovascular training is also deeply embedded in the heart and soul of the division, and our cardiovascular disease training program was honored in New York City, where Dr. Vincent Robinson accepted the ABC Diversity in Cardiology Award for 2016 in recognition of the success of this outstanding training program for educating cardiology fellows while promoting diversity. Dr. Robinson received a second patent on this occasion in Europe, for his new more specific D-dimer test in June 2016. Dr. Pascha Schafer was elected to the Georgia Council of the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and she served as a panelist for first-time participants at the ACC Annual Legislative Conference. Subsequently, Dr. Schafer was selected for the prestigious
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MESSAGE FROM CARDIAC ANESTHESIOLOGY “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.” -Mother Teresa At Augusta University Health, we, indeed, take pride in doing things, both great and small, with great love. Our outstanding team of cardiologists and cardiothoracic surgeons work around the clock to bring a steady flow of patients to the operating rooms, and our cardiothoracic anesthesiology team has never been busier! We recently added to our team highly motivated adult cardiothoracic anesthesiology faculty who are fellowship trained and certified in advanced perioperative transesophageal echocardiography. Drs. Nitin Anand and Ankit Jain joined us as pure cardiothoracic anesthesiologists, while Drs. Vaibhav Bora and Mohamed Gaber are adult cardiothoracic anesthesiologists as well as intensivists.
Shvetank Agarwal, MD, FASE Associate Professor and Section Chief of Cardiothoracic Anesthesia
Apart from the usual flurry of surgeries and other cardiac procedures, in the past year, we have also been busy with planning for the new state-of-the-art hybrid room. The team is quite excited for the chance to take part in some of the most complex cardiovascular procedures being performed today. Our team has also been very productive, with several high-quality publications in peer-reviewed indexed journals and numerous abstracts at international conferences. One of these is the potential for carboxyhemoglobin levels in cardiac surgery to predict outcomes. In recent years, carbon monoxide has been notorious for its harmful effects and has been shown to have anti-inflammatory effects when administered in minute quantities. It could, in other words, theoretically reduce the massive inflammatory response to cardiopulmonary bypass, a necessary evil in most cardiac surgeries. Could carbon monoxide, present in a smoker’s blood, provide the “preconditioning” that might inhibit endogenous carbon monoxide production during cardiac surgery, and could it have an overall protective effect? This is something our team is exploring. Finally, with simulation training reaching new heights in the institution, our team has taken advantage of the transesophageal echocardiography training opportunities. Our anesthesiology residents are very appreciative. I look forward to continuing to have what has been a productive and collaborative year with our cardiac surgery and cardiology colleagues. and highly competitive ACC Leadership Academy. At the institutional level, Dr. Schafer was selected as a pilot faculty member for Augusta University’s Women’s Leadership Pipeline Program. Dr. Eric Belin De Chanetmèle received the Augusta University Research Institute Virenda B. Mahesh Distinguished Research Award for his outstanding contributions in the area of cardiovascular research. Faculty in our division have conducted basic, clinical and translational research, publishing numerous abstracts, book chapters and manuscripts in prestigious journals such as, Chest Journal, World Journal of Cardiology, Journal of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance, Hypertension, Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology, and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA. We are proud to call ourselves the Division of Cardiology at Augusta University Health. Working together, we deliver the highest caliber patient- and family-centered care, train the next generation of cardiologists and conduct research that will transform cardiovascular health for decades to come. Remaining focused on our goals, we stand united behind our leadership and look forward to the very bright future that awaits us.
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INNOVATIONS IN PEDIATRIC INTERVENTIONAL CARDIOLOGY
Percutaneous repair of innominate artery aneurysm caused by extra corporeal membrane oxygenator cannula in a neonate
Zahid Amin, MD, FSCAI, FACC, FAHA, FAAP
Authors: Aamisha Gupta, MD; Megan Jarrard Ragan, RDCS; Zahid Amin, MD
Infants of diabetic mothers are at high risk of symptomatic hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, with an incidence of approximately 12 percent. In cases of severe septal wall thickening, there is inadequate ventricular filling leading to biventricular dysfunction, which digresses to tachycardia, respiratory distress and decreased cardiac output. Commonly, medical therapies aim at decreasing the heart rate with beta blockers to allow for prolonged ventricular filling and sufficient preload. Venous arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) has been used as an adjunct
William B. Strong Endowed Chair Professor and Chief Division of Pediatric Cardiology
therapy in those patients requiring additional support. Complications, such as aneurysm formation related to ECMO cannula, are extremely rare. We describe a case of a full-term infant of a diabetic mother with history of severe hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and pulmonary hypertension, who was placed on VA-ECMO for four weeks. After ECMO decannulation, he was found to have a large innominate artery aneurysm by transthoracic echocardiography. Serial echocardiograms revealed progressive increase
Figure 1
Figure 1: Transthoracic Echocardiogram: Large pseudoaneurysm off of the innominate artery (asterisk) 8 121706 - HEART AND CARDIO SPRING 2017.indd 8
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in aneurysm size. The dimensions of the aneurysm were confirmed by CT angiography. Due to high risk of aneurysm rupture, vascular interventional surgery and pediatric cardiothoracic surgery were consulted. All modalities declined to intervene or operate, so the patient was taken to the hybrid catheterization lab for percutaneous repair.
demonstrated excellent result with near occlusion of pseudoaneurysm and Doppler color flow to the right subclavian artery. Maintaining blood flow to the right subclavian artery was important otherwise the blood supply to the right arm would be from vertebral artery, resulting in subclavian steal syndrome. Proximal ligation or device occlusion of the innominate artery would not have caused regression of the aneurysm, as blood from the vertebral artery would have filled the aneurysm in a retrograde fashion.
Initial diagnostic angiography was performed with a 4F femoral arterial sheath, which was exchanged for a 6F delivery sheath for intervention. Of note, minimizing total time with arterial sheaths in place was paramount to decrease the risks associated with large-size arterial sheaths. Angiography demonstrated occlusion of the distal right carotid artery. This had been ligated previously by pediatric general surgery after ECMO decannulation. The aneurysm measured 24 mm x 25 mm. Under fluoroscopic guidance, two 6 mm x 22 mm
Review of the literature revealed one case report with aneurysm formation after ECMO, but no account was made as to the management. The complexity of this case was multifactorial: newborn baby, which limited the size of femoral arterial sheath access for stent placement; no management described in the literature; and importance
atrium cast premounted covered stents were deployed in a tandem fashion to effectively isolate the aneurysm and maintain flow to the right subclavian artery. Follow-up angiography demonstrated near complete occlusion of the aneurysm and normal right subclavian artery flow. The patient’s femoral pulses remained post intervention. At six-month follow-up, the echocardiogram
of maintaining flow to right upper extremity while effectively occluding the aneurysm.
This case demonstrates that large aneurysms can be addressed effectively in newborns in carefully selected patients, and a percutaneous option may be a viable and safe option.
Figure 2
Figure 2: A: Angiography of pseudoaneurysm (asterisk) off of the innominate artery B: Angiography status post stents bypassing aneurysm and maintaining blood flow to right subclavian artery
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INNOVATIONS IN ADULT INTERVENTIONAL CARDIOLOGY
New treatment options for blockages in the coronary arteries
Sean P. Javaheri, DO, FACP, FACC, FSCAI Associate Professor of Medicine
Associate Program Director, Cardiology
Authors: Sean Javaheri, DO, FACP, FACC, FSCAI
Fellowship, Medical College of Georgia
In the early years of treating narrowing of the coronary arteries, the only option was balloon angioplasty, during which a balloon was inflated across a coronary stenosis to widen the opening of the blood vessel. While successful, complications of dissection and residual stenosis limited its long-term usefulness. The advent of bare metal stents (BMS) allowed for the successful treatment of complications associated with balloon angioplasty and prevented the need for emergency cardiac surgery in many patients. Unfortunately, BMS were prone to develop scar tissue inside of them (restenosis), hampering the long-term success of the procedure. After BMS, a new type of stent was developed, which dramatically reduced the rate of restenosis. These stents are called drug-eluting stents (DES) and are coated with a medication to prevent scar tissue formation. DES revolutionized the field of interventional cardiology by dramatically reducing the rate of restenosis and allowed for the treatment of more complex lesions. Because of the success of DES, many patients who previously would have been referred for coronary artery bypass surgery were now able to undergo DES placement. Unfortunately, there remained a population of patients who, despite DES placement, continued to suffer from restenosis. These patients often have significant limitations in the quality of their lives, suffering from chest pain, difficulty breathing, fatigue and other symptoms of coronary artery disease. Many of these patients have had two or more stents placed to treat re-narrowing and have limited options to treat stent restenosis. Because the stent is a permanent scaffold inside the blood vessel, repeated stenting can crowd the blood
vessel and limits lumen size. While application of radiation therapy inside a stent (brachytherapy) is a treatment option for many of these patients at Augusta University Heart and Cardiovascular Services, a new generation of device has recently been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of coronary stenosis. This new device is a dissolvable stent, called a scaffold. It opens the blood vessel, then, over time, the scaffold dissolves and eventually leaves the blood vessel back to its normal state without a permanent implant. The first generation of this device is called the Absorb GT1 and was approved for use in the United States in July 2016. The Absorb GT1 scaffold is made up of polylactic acid (commonly used in medical devices) and provides a scaffold to treat a coronary stenosis. A potential advantage to this kind of stent includes dissolving over time, allowing for normal vasomotion of the coronary artery. Because it is not a permanent scaffold, it allows for future intervention or surgery, if needed, without a permanent stent. The device is also radiolucent and allows for the stent to be evaluated with a cardiac CT scan. It is not made of a metal or metal alloy, so X-ray imaging allows stent visualization without the metal inferring. This potentially prevents the need for a repeat cardiac catheterization in many patients. There are some limitations to this new technology, which requires experienced and skilled physicians to perform the intervention. First, the scaffold is not a stent and requires careful preparation of the vessel prior to deployment in a way that differs from standard stent deployment. Second, the scaffold is nearly twice the thickness of a regular stent, which limits its use in small blood vessels.
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There are three steps that the implanting physician must perform to assure adequate scaffold deployment. The interventional cardiologists at Augusta University Heart and Cardiovascular Services have a unique level of experience, making them well-equipped to provide this new therapy. The steps are as follows: 1. Lesion preparation: This means that anything that will interfere with the optimal scaffold expansion must be treated. This is often calcification and often involves the use of an atherectomy technique. The use of atherectomy requires experience and a unique skill set to perform safely. 2. Accurate vessel sizing: It has been shown that visual estimation of the vessel size is often inaccurate and
intravascular imaging techniques are superior for accurate vessel sizing. 3. Aggressive post-dilation of the scaffold to assure it is maximally apposed to the vessel wall with full expansion: We are excited about this new technology and feel our experience with intravascular imaging (used on 89 percent of our percutaneous coronary intervention cases), along with our experience with atherectomy (used in 11 percent of our cases), places us in a prime position to effectively utilize this new scaffold technology for the treatment of our patients with advanced and complex atherosclerotic coronary artery disease.
Figure 1: www.vascular.abbott – The Absorb GT1 scaffold at baseline through five years showing scaffold going away and leaving the blood vessel in its natural state
Figure 2: The Absorb scaffold 11 121706 - HEART AND CARDIO SPRING 2017.indd 11
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A MESSAGE FROM A FORMER FELLOW
Reflections on six years of cardiology and research training at Augusta University Reflecting on my six years of postgraduate residency
Uzoma N. Ibebuogu, MD, FACC, FSCA FSCAI Associate Professor of Medicine Division of Cardiovascular Disease Department of Medicine University of Tennessee Health Science Center
training at Augusta University Health, the words “privilege” and “honor” describe my experience during that time in my life. I was ecstatic upon acceptance into the internal medicine residency program because of the strong foundation and rich history this particular program possesses. Following my internal medicine residency training, I continued my studies for the general cardiology fellowship training program. The decision to pursue this training became cognizant by all of the qualities that
The collegial environment, camaraderie among cardiology fellows both inside and outside the hospital and the warm welcoming atmosphere in the city of Augusta all added to an excellent experience. Cardiology
made the program exceptional. A conducive learning
fellows routinely participated in social activities outside
environment combined with cosmopolitan faculty
of Augusta University Health that fostered good
provided the first-class training for which Augusta
relationships. The daily noon conferences by the fellows
University Health is renowned.
contributed immensely to the quality and depth of the
This esteemed faculty included Dr. Vincent Robinson, the efficient and tireless program director, who fashioned
training. My three years in cardiology training at Augusta
a collegial learning environment; Dr. Deepak Kapoor
University Health, without doubt, prepared me for my
inspired my interest in interventional cardiology;
interventional and structural heart disease training at
Drs. Mahendra Mandawat, Vishal Arora, Susan Noe
the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA)/Cedars-
and Hossain Alavi all carried a gentle approach to catheterization laboratory education, and their training nurtured my interest in the field.
Sinai Medical Center program. The robust cardiac catheterization laboratory training at Augusta University Health offered a progressive, supervised operator independence and efficient feedback from the faculty
Drs. John Thornton, Gyanendra Sharma and Joe Calkins enriched my knowledge of general cardiology. Drs. Sorrentino and Berman, sufficiently increased my
also prepared me for the interventional and structural heart disease training program at UCLA/Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
understanding of cardiac electrophysiology; Dr. Guy
Reed provided me with exposure to cardiology basic science and translational research, as well as other faculty and support staff who played a role in my cardiology
After my advanced fellowship came an appointment as faculty at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center along with director of the structural heart
education.
disease program at the Methodist University Hospital. 12
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I have been actively involved in the transcatheter aortic valve therapeutics, transcatheter closure of atrial and post myocardial infarction ventricular septal defects, and mitral valvuloplasties. I presently oversee a successful academic and clinical program, all made possible by the strong foundation laid during my training. My cardiology training also prepared me for a career in clinical research, one of the cornerstones of Augusta University Health’s cardiology fellowship training, thanks mostly to Drs. Robinson and Reed. Drs. Amin Yehya, Uzoma Ibebuogu, Vincent J.B. Robinson, and Vishal Arora at the Kimmerling MCG Faculty and Graduate Cardiovascular Showcase 2016
Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship Training
Vincent Robinson, MD, FACC, FRCP(C) Director, Cardiology Fellowship Training Program
Sean P. Javaheri, DO, FACP, FACC, FSCAI Associate Program Director, Cardiology Fellowship Training Program
Zahid Amin, MD, FSCAI, FACC, FAHA, FAAP Director, Pediatric Cardiology Fellowship Training Program
2017 FELLOWS Graduating Adult Cardiology Fellows Lavinia Mitulescu, MD Graduates in Sept. 2017 Private Practice in General Cardiology
Supawat Ratanapo, MD Interventional Cardiology Fellowship Emory University
Ruchit Shah, MD Electrophysiology Fellowship University of Alabama
Ismail Tabash, MD Private Practice General Cardiology
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Graduating Pediatric Cardiology Fellow
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Aamisha Gupta, MD General Pediatric Cardiology
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Fellowship Match Results
We have just completed another exciting and successful cardiology fellowship match process. We matched with our highly ranked candidates given in alphabetical order: Jason Cuomo, MD, Medical College of Georgia – Augusta, Georgia Paul Maddox, MD, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Greenville Campus – Greenville, South Carolina Yaser Nemshah, MD, University of Buffalo – Buffalo, New York Natdanai Punnanithinont, MD, MPH, University of Buffalo – Buffalo, New York Please join me in congratulating our new cardiology fellows for July 2017 on their high achievement. We look forward to their joining us on campus in July 2017 and meeting up with them at the next MCG Cardiology Mixer at the National ACC in Washington, D.C., on March 18, 2017. Thanks to all the faculty, fellows and support staff who made our recruitment season a success! We also offer our congratulations to: Drew Chalkley, MD Amer Sayed, MD Twinkle Singh, MD All graduates of our own internal medicine training program matched as cardiology fellows in outstanding locations outside of MCG!
Augusta University Heart and Cardiovascular Grand Round Series DATE
2016-2017 Academic Year Surgical Amphitheater BI 4081 Fridays 7:10 – 8 a.m.
SPEAKER
TITLE
05/05/17
Abdullah Omar, MD
Minimally Invasive Management of Atrial Fibrillation
aomar@augusta.edu
05/12/17
Jilang Zhou, MD
Critical Role of the Transcription Factor TEAD1 in Cardiovascular Development and Vascular Diseases
jizhou@augusta.edu
05/19/17
Tarun Sharma, MD
Tricuspid Valve Intervention
tsharma@augusta.edu
05/26/17
Patrick T. O’Gara, MD
Valvular Heart Disease
pogara@bwh.harvard.edu
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SAVE THE DATE July 13-16, 2017
Cardiovascular Summit at Kiawah Kiawah Island Golf Resort, Kiawah Island, South Carolina This four-day comprehensive cardiovascular CME event will highlight advances in invasive and noninvasive treatment of patients with simple and complex cardiovascular disease. This course is designed for practicing Physicians and Advanced Practice Providers who care for patients with cardiovascular disease. This case-based educational symposium will be led by faculty of the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, our clinical partners at the MCG-University of Georgia Partnership in Athens, Georgia, as well as other notable speakers from national programs. 21 Hours CME Credit. For more information: augusta.edu/ce/medicalce/2017/cardiovascularsummit. php
August 19-20, 2017
Kimmerling MCG Faculty and Graduate Cardiovascular Showcase 2017 J. Harold Harrison, M.D. Education Commons $99 for physicians, NPs, PAs 15 hours CME Credit
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5th Annual MCG Cardiovascular CME Event The Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University (MCG) hosted its 5th annual CME conference titled “Update in Cardiovascular Disease Management for Primary Care Providers” October 29-30, 2016. The conference was held at the J. Harold Harrison, M.D. Education Commons on Augusta University’s Health Sciences Campus. Forty-seven physicians, advanced practice providers and nurses attended. This multidisciplinary CME event has focused on updating clinical providers with current best practices for the treatment and prevention of cardiovascular diseases. MCG faculty have participated in this event since 2011. Lecture topics spanned cardiovascular disease states and incorporated expertise from cardiology, pulmonary, infectious disease, CT surgery, neurology and the University Of Georgia College Of Pharmacy. The 6th Annual Update in Cardiovascular Disease Management for Primary Care Providers is scheduled for November 4-5, 2017 at the J. Harold Harrison, M.D. Education Commons at Augusta University in Augusta, Georgia. Call 706-721-4997 for more information. Adam Berman, MD, MPH, FRS, FACC, FAHA Chief, Division of Cardiology Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology Associate Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics Director, Cardiac Arrhythmia Ablation Services
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