Sutter Launches First Hybrid Suite, Heart Hospitalist Program

2010-10-12T23:54:26Z

Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento became the first hospital in the greater region to open a Hybrid Surgical Suite – a cardiovascular catheterization lab with immediate surgical capabilities designed to enable cardiologists and cardiovascular surgeons to work side by side – and the first to have a cardiology hospitalist program, providing in-hospital coverage by fully trained, board-certified cardiologists 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The goal of the new cardiology hospitalist program is to improve the quality of care in the cardiology division at Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento, assist with lowering the overall length of stay for patients and, overall, to maintain the cardiac program at Sutter Memorial Hospital as a center of excellence for cardiovascular care.

“In heart cases, timeliness is of utmost importance,” said David Roberts, M.D., medical director of the Sutter Heart & Vascular Institute and an interventional cardiologist. “This ensures that anyone at Sutter Memorial Hospital – whether in the emergency room or in their room, heart patient or not – will have access to an experienced cardiologist at a moment’s notice.”

The Hybrid Surgical Suite, which is located at Sutter Memorial Hospital, combines endovascular, cardiac catheterization, heart surgery, laparoscopic and radiological capabilities, allowing maximum flexibility and speed in the treatment of patients with even the most complex cardiac and vascular conditions.

Surgeons and interventional cardiologists have already teamed up to perform abdominal aortic aneurysm repairs, which in the past required open-abdomen surgery. With the right equipment and a large enough room, these repairs are now being performed minimally invasively by going through the femoral artery.

“With this Hybrid Surgical Suite, our physicians will be able to provide even more collaborative clinical care for the current and evolving treatment modalities of endovascular aneurysm and transcatherter valve replacement in one setting,” said Michael Ingram, M.D., a Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento heart surgeon and a medical director with Sutter Heart & Vascular Institute.

Meanwhile, the Sutter Heart & Vascular Institute is raising funds to help install a Hybrid Surgical Suite as part of the ongoing “medical center of the future” expansion project at the midtown Sutter General Hospital campus that will bring cardiovascular services from Sutter Memorial Hospital. When it opens in late 2012, the expanded Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento will house all of its tertiary services in one campus.

The Sutter Heart & Vascular Institute’s surgical program is headquartered at the Sutter Memorial Hospital campus of Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento. The Sutter Memorial campus includes four catheterization labs, including electrophysiology capabilities and the Hybrid Surgical Suite; a 16-bed surgical intensive care unit; a16-bed cardiac intensive care unit; and a 20-bed pediatric intensive care unit. SHVI includes the Transplant and Advanced Heart Therapy Services, which include the heart transplant and ventricular assist device programs, the only such services available outside of the Bay Area in Northern California. Through rapid diagnosis, complex surgeries, non-surgical interventions and one of the most extensive research programs in the region, Sutter Heart & Vascular Institute maintains its tradition of excellence in care for infants, children and adults. For more information on Sutter Heart & Vascular Institute, visit our website at www.suttermedicalcenter.org.

Disclosure: Gary Zavoral is the public relations specialist for Sutter Health Sacramento Sierra Region

Fighting cardiovascular disease through Start! Sacramento Heart Walk

2009-09-17T06:47:41Z

William Land Park will come alive Saturday with over 3,000 community members walking together to fight against heart disease in the Sacramento Heart Walk. Start! Heart Walk is locally sponsored by Sutter Heart & Vascular Institute, and aided nationally by the American Heart Association. The event is scheduled to begin from 8 a.m. to noon.

The Sacramento community is very much involved, said Kristine Mosqueda-Kelly with American Heart Association. Families and individuals are participating in this event to share their stories and hopefully raise community awareness about the fight against heart disease and stroke. The event is driven by volunteers and walkers to fund lifesaving research in the cardiovascular field.

"The American Heart Association has had a significant impact in the lives of countless families through its research efforts, community education outreach, advocacy and healthcare quality improvement efforts," said Mosqueda-Kelly. "AHA-funded research has contributed to many important discoveries such as CPR, life-extending drugs, pacemakers, bypass surgery, the heart-lung machine and surgical techniques to repair heart defects. These are medical breakthroughs that has saved countless lives and continue to save many lives everyday." Said Mosqueda-Kelly.

One survivor is Grace Brown, age 6 1/2, of Antelope. Brown was diagnosed at 2 1/2 years old with a congenital heart defect called coarctation of the aorta. At only 3 1/2 years old, she underwent lifesaving surgery for her enlarged heart.

"We were told without surgery at some point, she wouldn't survive past her 30s," said Angie Brown, Grace's mother.

Now two years after her surgery Grace has been weaned off her medication and the family is confident that her future will be bright.

"[At the Sacramento Heart Walk] we honor her for her courage and what she went through, " said Brown said. "My father passed away from a heart attack at the same time when she was diagnosed in 2006," Brown said. "I am very passionate about this cause."

According to the American Heart Association, heart disease and stroke are the No. 1 and No. 3 killers in the United States, respectively. "Anybody at any age can have risk factors," said Dr. Maxine Barish Wreden, physician with Sutter Health. "Children or teenagers can have high cholesterol, elevated blood pressure, diabetes."

Obesity, can be directly related to the food we eat or don't eat as children, said Wreden. This can be easily preventable by the lifestyle choices we make with proper diet and exercise. The chance for stroke, hypertension and heart is significantly reduced by the type of food we consume, she said.

Along with community awareness, there will also be free health screenings, educational information, and heart-healthy snacks and beverages. Family-oriented activities in the Kids Zone will be providing free activities, such as the milk mustache contest, sponsored by Foster Farms Dairy. There will also be a health fair and free massages. Live bands will provide musical entertainment, as well.

For more information, visit the Start! Sacramento Heart Walk website.

More information about cardiovascular disease can be found at the American Heart Association website.

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Sutter Launches First Hybrid Suite, Heart Hospitalist Program

Fighting cardiovascular disease through Start! Sacramento Heart Walk