NCH Is One of the First in Florida to Offer Newly FDA Approved Cardiac Treatment April 13, 2021 Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women. As people with heart disease grow older and their disease progresses, plaque in the arteries evolves into calcium deposits, which can narrow the artery. Physicians often use stents to open an artery, and of the approximately one million patients that undergo a stent procedure each year, 30% have problematic calcium that increases their risk for adverse events. To offer the best cardiac patient experience possible and greatly lower the risks associated with calcium buildup in the arteries, we are happy to announce that NCH is the first hospital on the West Coast of Florida, south of Tampa, to offer a brand new form of therapy never available before to treat calcified coronary arteries called Intravascular Lithotripsy.
NCH Healthcare System and ProScan Imaging Announce New Partnership NCH Healthcare System has developed a joint venture with ProScan Imaging that combines ProScan’s best-in-class national reputation with NCH’s infrastructure and recent investment in its imaging technology. Headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, ProScan is one of America’s most respected organizations for medical imaging and reading services, with 20 years of excellence in Naples and 30 years nationally. Additionally, ProScan provides comprehensive radiology services to several hundred medical centers across all 50 US states and several US overseas territories. ProScan has been fully accredited by the Accreditations Council for Continuing Medical Education {ACCME} for more than 25 years as a provider of advanced physician educational training in radiology. Every day across the nation, ProScan radiologists and support staff work with physicians to provide expert interpretations of medical imaging examinations, so doctors can determine the best course of treatment for their patients’ health issues. “ProScan offers exceptionally sophisticated and high-quality imaging services in Florida and throughout the US,” said Stephen J. Pomeranz, MD, CEO and Founder of ProScan Imaging. “We approach our customers as partners, and we teach them all we can about imaging. This sharing of knowledge both enhances their practices and establishes us as their most valuable radiology resource.”
This brand-new technology that treats calcium buildup is a novel adaptation of lithotripsy, an approach used for decades to safely break up kidney stones. Intravascular Lithotripsy is now available to fracture problematic arterial calcium that prevents adequate blood flow in the heart. It uses sonic pressure waves, also known as shockwaves, that pass through soft arterial tissue and preferentially disrupt calcified plaque by creating a series of micro-fractures. After the calcium has been cracked, the artery can be expanded at low pressure and a stent safely implanted to improve blood flow, with minimal trauma to normal arterial tissue. “We are pleased to be able to offer this brand new technology that has not been available before, anywhere, to the patients of the NCH Heart Institute,” said Kristin Mascotti, MD, Chief Medical Officer for the NCH Healthcare System. “Each day, our team of exceptional cardiologists and cardiovascular surgeons work tirelessly to save or improve the quality of life of those individuals who choose NCH for their cardiac care. This new therapy will be a wonderful addition to our arsenal of cutting-edge cardiac treatment options to help our patients live a longer, happier, healthier life.” NCH Heart Institute physicians are trained in this new technology and it is available now as a safer alternative to patients in need of a stent procedure. Patients can call 239-624-4200 for more information or to schedule a consult.
This new joint venture combines the existing outpatient imaging services of NCH with the current ProScan outpatient services in Collier and Lee Counties. This combination of physicians, technology, and patient-friendly locations will enhance patient care and access throughout SWFL. There will be 10 outpatient locations between the two entities as a result of the partnership to be managed by ProScan. “My family and I have made Naples our home for the past 20 years,” said Bert Maulsby, MD, Medical Director of ProScan Naples. “The ProScan Naples team has always provided local healthcare professionals and their patients with the best available services and we are excited to expand our efforts in partnership with the NCH radiology team.” “I look forward to working with ProScan Imaging, and am excited about the opportunity to elevate the level of imaging services we will be able to provide,” said Bryan Murphey, MD, Ambulatory Chief Medical Officer at NCH. “ProScan is a leader in medical imaging with their exceptional accuracy in radiology interpretations, technical image quality, and commitment to building solid relationships between their radiologists and physicians. It just made sense for NCH to partner with someone equally committed to superior patient outcomes as we are.” NCH has been preparing for this partnership by investing in new technologies and equipment to enhance the imaging infrastructure available to our physicians and our patients. Combining the cutting-edge equipment now available at NCH with the superior service and expertise of ProScan Imaging will set the stage for top tier radiology and imaging services in Southwest Florida. “This new relationship with ProScan Imaging will greatly enhance the quality we are able to offer our patients,” said Paul Hiltz, President and CEO, NCH Healthcare System. “ProScan’s reputation for exceptional quality is precisely why NCH chose to partner with them in imaging services to our community.”
Next Generation of Watchman Device Allows AFib Patients to Forego Blood Thinners Over the past ten years, the highly effective Watchman device has dramatically reduced the risk of stroke for atrial fibrillation (AFib) patients whose AFib is not due to valve problems. In these patients, a heart arrythmia can allow blood to pool in a portion of the heart known as the left atrial appendage – allowing dangerous blood clots to form. These clots can eventually break free, stopping the flow of blood to the brain – causing stroke. Until the advent of the Watchman implant, AFib patients without valve problems relied on blood thinners such as warfarin or coumadin, which were not well-tolerated and came with their own set of risks, including internal bleeding and even stroke. There is a new or second-generation Watchman FLX (W-FLX), known in medical parlance as a left atrial appendage occlusion device. The Watchman FLX is a small parachute-like device that is placed in the heart via a catheter advanced through a blood vessel in the leg up to the heart where it will seal off the left atrial appendage so that clots cannot form there. “The W-FLX capitalizes on the same proven effectiveness as the original Watchman 2.5 device, with some style modifications that allow it to be offered to a broader-based patient population. The new design offers improved safety and a 98.8% success rate in allowing patients to come off their blood thinners,”explained NCH Interventional Cardiologist Adam J. Frank MD, FACC. The NCH Heart Institute is the only center in Southwest Florida to offer this technology. The procedure typically takes about 90 minutes, is performed under general anesthesia, and requires only an overnight stay with 99% of patients discharged home the following day. “Once in place, the heart forms a layer of tissue over it, and the appendage seals. In effect, it becomes part of the heart, always there, protecting for life,”said Dr. Frank. More than 150,000 Watchman devices have been implanted in the past ten years with an extremely small complication risk. The manufacturer’s tagline is ‘One Time. For a Lifetime.’ “One implant, and you don’t have to worry about being on blood thinners for stroke risk reduction ever again,” said Dr. Frank.
For more information about the NCH Structural Heart Program (TAVR & Watchman), call (239) 624-4276.
Symptoms of Atrial Fibrillation
Risks for Atrial Fibrillation • Advancing age • High blood pressure • Obesity • European ancestry • Diabetes • Heart failure • Ischemic heart disease
Benefits of the new second-gen Watchman FLX • Low major complication rate and high rate of effective left atrial appendage closure • 96.2% of patients able to discontinue blood thinner at 45-day follow-up • 98.8% of patients successfully implanted • No hemorrhagic strokes through 12 months of follow-up
• Palpitations (sensations of a racing,
uncomfortable, irregular heartbeat or a flip- flopping in your chest)
• Reduced ability to exercise • Lightheadedness • Weakness • Fatigue • Dizziness • Shortness of breath • Chest pain
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NCH HEALTHCARE SYSTEM | Helping everyone live a longer, happier, and healthier life.
JULY 2021
JULY 2021
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