Inova Schar Heart and Vascular Impact Report - 2023

2023 Gratitude and Impact Report

Inova

Schar Heart and Vascular

Inova Schar Heart and Vascular

A culture of innovation

Heart disease remains the #1 cause of death in the United States, and Virginia and the DMV are ranked in the bottom half of cardiovascular survival. The toll is particularly high in those over 65, in Black and Hispanic communities and for women of all races Your philanthropic support helps us to raise awareness of heart disease and combat the morbidity and reduced quality of life this insidious and deadly disease brings.

Our Inova Schar Heart and Vascular team consistently strives to deliver outstanding, world class cardiovascular care. One important way Inova stays on the cutting edge is our commitment to continuing to develop and refine innovative platforms incorporating the use of artificial intelligence and data analytics to help us predict disease progression and deliver timely, effective, and personalized care

For example, this year, artificial intelligence and data analytics were used to develop a novel heart failure severity score to identify at-risk patients, improve the accuracy of diagnostic tests and track and document disparities in procedures and treatment Wearables, and remote patient monitoring are likewise important tools in providing convenient and effective care in the hospital setting and remotely.

“Your generosity is making a difference in the lives of the people in this community and beyond. ”

We remain committed to the principles of a learning health system. That means integrating our internal experiences with external research results to enhance patient outcomes, support the discovery of new treatments and care pathways, and deliver safer, more efficient and more personalized care We rely on philanthropic gifts to support this culture of research, analysis, innovation and education.

This report highlights some of our initiatives and accomplishments of the past year. Your generosity is making a difference in the lives of the people in this community and beyond. We are excited and honored to continue to move forward with transformative, innovative care on your behalf

With gratitude,

r, MD, MACC, FESC, FHFSA, FHFA President, Inova Schar Heart and Vascular

Schar Family Transformative Gift

Challenging transformation

This year, Inova was quite literally transformed by an extraordinary act of philanthropy.

In May 2023, Dwight and Martha Schar announced their extraordinary $75 million gift to support Inova’s heart and vascular programs In recognition of this tremendous act of philanthropy, Inova Heart and Vascular Institute has been renamed to become Inova Schar Heart and Vascular.

With their gift, Dwight and Martha Schar issued a challenge. They called on their community, the people of Northern Virginia to match their gift–one of the largest to support heart health in the country–over the next year

Philanthropy plays a crucial role in Inova’s ability to recruit and retain some of the world’s most talented clinicians and researchers, advance health equity across Northern Virginia, and expand our prevention and early diagnosis work

“I can’t think of a better way to spend our time, resources, and effort than to help make world-class care possible for everyone, here at Inova.”

Dwight Schar Inova Schar Heart and Vascular Donor

This gift, along with support from donors inspired to join the Schar Challenge, is helping to grow and accelerate some of Inova’s most innovative multidisciplinary, team-based programs, expanding the reach of our worldclass care.

While Dwight and Martha Schar directed their gift towards Inova’s heart and vascular programs, they are encouraging fellow donors to give where their heart beats–to whichever area or need at Inova is most meaningful to them A gift of any size before June 2024 will count towards matching the Schar Challenge.

Accept the Schar Challenge here: https://join.inova.org/scharchallenge

Grateful Patients

John’s story

Changing the odds for cardiogenic shock

Like most active thriving adults, John Harrity didn’t expect to experience a heart event. The healthy fifty-year-old father was playing pick-up basketball game when he suffered a heart attack and entered cardiogenic shock, a condition that can rapidly advance to multi-organ failure.

In the US, cardiogenic shock is the most common cause of death in hospitals following a heart attack.

Luckily, John was in the care of a unique group of doctors: Inova Schar Heart and Vascular’s Shock Team. The Shock Team’s innovative model coordinates an interdisciplinary team of specialists and uses an advanced algorithm to help dramatically improve our patients’ chances

Nationwide, mortality rates for cardiogenic shock have held steady for nearly twenty years. It is the cause of death for half of the patients who experience it.

In 2023, Inova distributed our cardiogenic shock treatment algorithm to hospitals nationwide, leading the nation in pioneering this approach.

Only two years after launching the Shock Team, Inova saw our 30-day cardiogenic shock survival rate rise to over 70 percent. The model, supported and accelerated by philanthropy, proved life-saving for John: four and a half months later, he was back at work, having made a full recovery under the care of the Inova team. Read more about John’s story here.

Inova’s 30 day cardiogenic shock survival rate is far above the national average.

Chances improve to over 70% with Inova’s Shock Team Survival rate of 50% nationwide

“By using a coordinated team approach with a standard algorithm, we became the first medical center in the country to report these amazing results. ”

Behnam Tehrani, MD Medical Director, Cardiac Catheterization Inova Fairfax Medical Campus

Grateful Patients

Beryl Croll’s story

“When Mum met Dr. Neville, she became a new person.”

In 2012, Mrs. Croll received heartbreaking news: after spending 40 years of her adult life as a Type 2 Diabetic, she was told she required a double amputation above the knee.

When she and her family sought out a second opinion, that surgeon referred them to Dr. Richard Neville, Director of Inova Vascular; Associate Director of Inova Schar Heart and Vascular; and Vice-Chairman of the Department of Surgery.

“She said, ‘I do these types of surgeries, but if your mom was my mom, I would take her to Dr. Neville,” Mrs. Croll’s daughter Nicki shared.

Dr. Neville had different news for Mrs. Croll: he cancelled travel plans, cleared his schedule for her revascularization surgery, and promised her that he would do everything he could to save her limbs

“Dr. Neville gave her eight and a half years that the other doctors weren’t giving her…a quality of life that wasn’t being offered to her anywhere else.”

Thanks to Dr Neville’s expert care and attention, Mrs Croll enjoyed another eight and a half years with her legs intact, able to take once-in-a-lifetime trips and spend time with her family and her church, like she always wanted. When she passed in 2021 at the age of 86, her family invited Dr. Neville to speak at her service.

“He was part of the family,” said Mrs. Croll’s daughter Nicki, “He had to be there. For that and more, we are in debt to Dr Neville and his team And we're inspired and heartened to know that's the care he provides to every person ”

A leader in amputation prevention

Inova Schar Heart and Vascular’s ongoing work to address the inequities in outcomes for diabetes patients was recognized this year with a designation as a Vascular Consultant to the American Diabetes Association for its national Amputation Prevention initiative.

Atrial Fibrillation Program

A pioneering approach

Thanks to the D’Aniello family and other generous supporters, the Atrial Fibrillation Program has continued to lead the field with a multidisciplinary, data-driven approach to atrial fibrillation management. The result is a level of care that exceeds standard practice in electrophysiology clinics around the world

AFib is an abnormal chaotic heart rhythm originating in the heart's top two chambers, frequently causing the bottom chambers to beat rapidly and in an irregular pattern, often creating a fast pulse AFib causes symptoms in 70-85% of patients, increases the risks of stroke and heart failure, and reduces the expected life span of affected patients.

Brett Atwater, MD

D'Aniello Chair, Atrial Fibrillation

Inova Schar Heart and Vascular

Because AFib is a complex condition that ideally is treated using the expertise of several medical specialists, Inova’s multidisciplinary approach stands out as unique, offering access to specialists from multiple disciplines including cardiology, and electrophysiology as well as weight loss, pharmacy, behavioral health and sleep medicine.

Early studies show that this approach has been associated with improved outcomes such as a 49% reduction in all-cause mortality, 42% reduction in cardiovascular hospitalizations, 50%–82% reduction in emergency visits, more cost-effective care, and fewer readmissions and shorter length of hospital stay.

Next year, the generosity of our philanthropic supporters will support the launch of a consortium that shares these improved practices and materials with other centers starting atrial fibrillation programs.

“Dr. Atwater was very thorough and did a great job explaining all the research from the last several years. I felt totally informed and confident on the day of the procedure.”

Dan Conover Atrial Fibrillation Patient

Paying it forward Cardiomyopathy

Cardiomyopathy–a term for heart conditions that make it harder for the heart to pump blood to other parts of the body–too frequently goes undiagnosed, despite its impact on up to 1 in 500 adults.

Following her own experience of being diagnosed with a heart condition, Lola C. Reinsch wanted to give back. In July 2023, made possible with her generosity, Inova launched the Inova Reinsch Pierce Cardiomyopathy Program

Screening, Education, and Research

The Inova Reinsch Pierce Cardiomyopathy Program works to reach more cardiomyopathy patients through screening and education, expand research and participation in clinical trials, and learn more about clinical areas like sleep apnea and genetic cardiomyopathy.

In addition to patient care, the program provides funds for Investigator Initiated Studies to

encourage cutting-edge research, invites funding proposals from faculty, and is creating a state-of-the-art registry to capture patient data on clinical demographics.

This program was made possible by the generosity of Lola C. Reinsch, who was inspired by her own experience of being diagnosed with a heart condition. Lola shared that, “Because of my personal health crisis, I was inspired to give what I could to advance heart care for other patients experiencing cardiomyopathies "

While heart disease is the leading cause of death in the US, increased screening and education make it survivable for more patients, and donors like Lola make a difference

“We are incredibly grateful and stronger for Lola and her family’s trust in Inova and their commitment to our community.”

Sage Bolte, PhD, LCSW, CST, FAOSW

Chief Philanthropy Officer and President of the

Inova Health Foundation

A record-setting year

Supported by philanthropy, Inova Schar Heart and Vascular care providers were able to reach new milestones for Inova patients in 2023

From a record number of successful lung transplants Inova has performed over 650 lung transplants to date to groundbreaking innovations in surgery, the Inova team continues to provide world-class care on the cutting edge.

The path to a breakthrough can be a long one. Following successful trials, this year marked Inova’s first heart transplant with a donation after circulatory death

Each successful treatment is the end result of extensive research, trials and collaboration—all made possible by the generosity of many members of our community coming together.

50

successful lung transplants, including four heart-lung transplants

51

heart transplants, including the Transmedics “heart in a box” device for transplant donation

330

cardiogenic shock patients treated, leading the nation in outcomes with a survival rate over 70%

“Support from our donors helps ensure that Inova Schar Heart and Vascular research results are published and disseminated in a timely manner and through the most effective channels, thereby maximizing the benefit for patients everywhere.”

Wayne

Batchelor, MD Director of the Interventional Heart Program Inova Health System

2023 Recognition and Awards

A milestone in lung transplant surgeries

Inova’s lung transplant team performed a record 50 successful lung transplants in 2023, including four heart-lung transplants, and were able to raise the upper age limit for lung transplantation patients to 75.

A national leader in mitral valve repair

For the third year running, Inova Schar Heart and Vascular was recognized with a Mitral Valve Repair Reference Center Award from the American Heart Association and the Mitral Foundation, which honors the nation’s best medical centers for mitral valve repair surgery.

Groundbreaking alternatives to open heart surgery

Inova Schar Heart and Vascular became the fifth hospital in the country to implant the Medtronic Harmony Valve, providing the first alternative to open heart surgery for patients with severe pulmonary regurgitation and dilated right ventricular outflow tracts.

Excellence in ECMO

After leading the nation in the use of ECMO to treat patients with severe cases of COVID-19, Inova Schar Heart and Vascular was certified as a Platinum Center of Excellence for ECMO, and awarded a Platinum Award for Excellence from the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO).

Inova’sabilitytoattractandretaintoptalentis inextricablylinkedtophilanthropy.

Talented team members like the newly appointed Dr. Ana Barac and Dr. Garima Sharma choose Inova in part thanks to the protected research time and resources for world-class care made possible by our donors.

Ana Barac, MD, PhD

D’Aniello Chair, Cardio-Oncology Director Inova Cardio-Oncology Program

“At

the time of cancer diagnosis, often the question is: how do we balance heart risks with the benefit of oncology therapy?”

That’s a question Dr. Ana Barac is uniquely poised to answer. As Director of the Inova Cardio-Oncology Program, Dr. Barac has led the expansion of comprehensive cardiovascular care for patients from diagnosis to survivorship

Professor of Medicine at Georgetown University and founding chair of the American College of Cardiology's Cardio-Oncology Council, Dr. Barac has led programs at the intersection of heart health and cancer care for more than a quarter century.

Garima Sharma, MD

Director, Women’s Cardiovascular Health and Cardio-Obstetrics

Heart disease is responsible for more female deaths than all forms of cancer combined and yet, because research has historically focused on men, there’s less understanding of how heart health presents in women.

Dr Garima Sharma, a national leader in women’s health and preventive cardiology, is working to change that Dr. Sharma brings two decades of experience leading the field on this issue. In addition to founding the Cardio-Obstetrics program at Johns Hopkins University, she’s served as Governor of the Maryland ACC Chapter, coauthored landmark AHA guidelines, and advocates for policies to combat gendered health inequities

Research and publications

Philanthropy helps provide protected time for our top doctors to research and publish findings that push the field forward. In 2023, Inova Schar Heart and Vascular doctors published over 325 publications, including review articles, reports of ongoing clinical research, and editorials.

2023 Highlights

Eunice Yang, MD, PhD et. al. published on “Prevalence of Subclinical Atrial Fibrillation in Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction” in JACC.

Dr. Palak Shah published groundbreaking methods for identifying transplant rejection in Circulation and other journals. The Advanced Heart Failure Team has been on the cutting

edge of developing and studying novel, less invasive methods to detect posttransplant complications and combat transplant rejection

Dr. Cleveland Francis, Inova’s DEI advisor, has published extensively in WebMD/Medscape on the importance of DEI initiatives in healthcare, identifying and combating implicit bias, and how we are working to ensure that the Inova Healthcare environment is safe for team members and patients

Looking ahead

In 2024, a special issue of Frontiers of Cardiovascular Medicine will be dedicated to diverse perspectives on cardiology from across the Inova Schar Heart and Vascular community.

Convening and inspiring

Inova Dudley Family Center Visiting Professor Series

Thanks to the Dudley family’s generosity, this celebrated series continued its virtual grand rounds with leaders in the field, including:

Dr. Laxmi Mehta

Chief Well-Being Liaison

Vice Chair of Wellness, Department of Internal Medicine

Sarah Ross Soter Endowed Chair in Women’s Cardiovascular Health

“Burnout: A Barrier to Clinician Well-being”

Dr. Veronique Roger

Senior Investigator and Branch Chief, Epidemiology and Community Health Branch, Division of Intramural Research, NHLBI

“Population Science and Heart Failure”

Dr. Sana Mustapha Al-Khatib

Professor of Medicine, Duke University

Director, Fellowship Program at the Duke Clinical Research Institute

“Toward Optimal and Equitable Treatment of Sudden Cardiac Death”

Learning from Luminaries

Inova’s sold out Advanced Heart Failure Symposium and Cardiovascular Symposium saw record attendance in 2023

We were honored to host two legendary pioneers in the field of cardiac medicine as keynote speakers.

Dr. Eugene Braunwald, spoke about the history of hypertropic cardiomyopathy

Dr. Spencer B King, III, traced the evolution of coronary interventions over time.

Helping our community Dream B!G

In 2023, hundreds of young people received mentoring and an introduction to healthcare careers through Inova’s Dream B!G program.

Dream B!G is an initiative dedicated to inspiring students and increasing diversity in the healthcare workforce.

Through Dream B!G, students get an exciting introduction to healthcare careers, along with mentoring from doctors and other healthcare professionals.

A Day of Hands-On Learning

In December, students from Fairfax County Public Schools spent the day on site, getting the chance to experience medical careers up close:

taking blood pressure with UVA Medical students

talking about back surgery with orthopedic surgeons

learning how respiratory specialists put in a tracheostomy tube

None of this would be possible

“Inova