Patients who once had to travel a distance to obtain sophisticated and comprehensive heart services now have specialized care available closer to home. The Advanced Heart and Vascular Institute at the hospitals of Community Healthcare System offers complex cardiovascular technologies and techniques previously found only at leading academic medical centers.
Cardiovascular physicians who work at the Advanced Heart and Vascular Institute located at Community Hospital in Munster, St. Catherine Hospital in East Chicago and St. Mary Medical Center in Hobart provide a full-spectrum of cardiothoracic and cardiovascular services. Services include the latest minimally-invasive techniques, off-pump bypass procedures and innovative treatments for complex heart, valve and vascular conditions.
“Our hospitals have a long-standing commitment of offering industry led procedures performed with cutting-edge equipment,” said Cardiovascular Surgeon Christopher Stone, MD, medical director of cardiovascular surgery at Community Healthcare System. “These cutting-edge technologies keep us forward-thinking for the benefit of our patients. We know that patients have a better chance of superior outcomes when treated at a center that sees a large number of patients, especially one that is supported by the experts that we have on staff here at the hospitals of Community Healthcare System.”
Cardiovascular surgeons, specially trained cardiologists and electrophysiologists are on the front line of heart care at the Advanced Heart and Vascular Institute of Community Healthcare System, identifying and treating heart disease. This highly skilled team works together to offer minimally invasive cardiac and vascular surgeries, structural heart procedures, cardiovascular imaging, heart and vascular interventions, heart failure treatment, electrophysiology, peripheral vascular approaches designed to save limbs, atrial fibrillation and arrhythmia treatment, cardiac rehabilitation, research trials and prevention strategies.
Cardiology and cardiac surgery have changed dramatically since Stone said he first started in the field. Today’s minimally invasive techniques offer patients shorter hospital stays, smaller incisions, less scar tissue, less trauma to the body, less pain, reduced risk of infection and a quicker return to daily activities.
Some of the more complex heart care available through the Advanced Heart and Vascular Institute includes transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR); percutaneous mitral valve repair for mitral regurgitation (MitraClip®); left atrial appendage closure using WATCHMAN™ for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation and minimally invasive treatments for aortic and mitral valve stenosis (including balloon valvuloplasty). Cardiac specialists at Community Hospital in Munster successfully performed the first TAVR procedure in Northwest Indiana on January 11, 2017.
Transcatheter aortic valve replacement or TAVR is a less invasive approach that is preferable for patients who are weak, fragile or have co-conditions and would not be considered candidates for a traditional open chest surgery. TAVR repairs the heart valve without removing the original damaged valve and without a sternotomy to surgically open the chest. Instead, a replacement valve is delivered through a catheter (small tube) to the site of the aortic valve. Once the new valve is expanded, it pushes the original valve leaflets out of the way and the tissue in the replacement valve takes over the job of regulating blood flow.
Performing the TAVR procedure requires a special “hybrid” operating room specially outfitted with imaging systems that combine surgical procedures with diagnostic imaging like that in a cardiac catheterization lab.
“Community Healthcare System’s investment in the hybrid OR is yet another example of our commitment to bring the latest advances in medicine to our community,” said Donald P. Fesko, President and Chief Executive Officer. “Combined with the expertise of our medical teams, area residents now have access to procedures that previously only were available in Chicago or Indianapolis.”
The Limb Ischemia and Vascular Excellence (L.I.V.E.) program, also part of the Advanced Heart and Vascular Institute, offers a simplified approach to peripheral vascular disease (PVD). Patients with leg vessel blockages and limb ischemia, a condition where not enough blood is being delivered to keep the leg tissue alive, have access to some of the most advanced treatments available for PVD.
PVD affects one in 20 people over the age of 50. Left untreated, PVD limits the patient’s ability to walk normal distances and curbs everyday activity. This severe disease process can actually progress to such a severe extent that a patient may require amputation. PVD does not affect only one part of the body; it affects the arteries, the veins and skin and is closely tied to wound healing, diabetes as well as cardiac health.
Through the L.I.V.E. program at the hospitals of Community Healthcare System many specialties work together, from infectious disease, the wound centers, podiatry and vascular surgery led by peripheral vascular coordinators to ensure the best care and the best outcomes for patients.
For patients with irregular heartbeats, Community Healthcare System’s Electrophysiology Labs and Clinics offer the most advanced equipment designed to diagnose and treat abnormal heart rhythms. The labs are staffed with dedicated registered nurses, radiology technicians, cardiology and data technicians who provide specialized care for patients with heart rhythm-related health conditions. The Electrophysiology Labs and Clinics also are a part of the cardiac specialty care available through the Advanced Heart and Vascular Institute.
Learn more about the medical services available for heart conditions at www.comhs.org. Search the “Find a Doctor” tab at comhs.org to find the right doctor for your condition or call 219-836-3477 for free physician directory service.