Happy Holidays & a Break for Pulse

Keep your great story suggestions coming in the new year. Pulse will be on break for the next two weekends. We’ll see you again on Sunday, Jan. 12. Happy holidays, everyone!

Duke Heart Virtual Food Drive

For the holidays, won’t you join the Duke Heart Virtual Food Drive to support the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina? It has been a challenging year for many people throughout our region and we can help! For each dollar contributed, the Food Bank can purchase $10 worth of food for a family in need. Our virtual food drive will run until mid-January. Please help us help the Food Bank!

To contribute, please visit: http://secure.foodbankcenc.org/goto/dukeheart.

 

Miss America 2.0 ‘Goes Red’ with Svati Shah

Miss America 2.0 went ‘red’ for women’s heart health on Thursday evening and continued its evolution as a national platform for female empowerment. The broadcast, which aired live from the Mohegan Sun arena in Montville, CT, featured Duke Heart’s Svati Shah, an American Heart Association Board member as part of the AHA’s collaborative effort with the Miss America Organization.

Her message emphasized the importance of women in STEM fields as a means of addressing overall women’s heart health. Way to go, Svati!

 

 

HF Holiday Gathering Held

The Duke Heart Failure Section gathered at the Mentz home on December 14^th to celebrate the holiday season and another fantastic year. Bringing the entire section together with families is one of the best parts of the year. The group enjoyed Indian food, holiday cocktails, s’mores and some karaoke later in the night!

 

 

Heart Nursing Leadership Team Gives Back

The Heart Nursing Leadership Team gathered for a holiday luncheon on Tuesday, Dec. 17 to celebrate the holidays. As part of their teamwork, they chose to support the Durham Rescue Mission, which had a particular need for men’s winter weather items. Together, they collected one set of earmuffs; four scarves; 33 sets of gloves; 88 pairs of socks; 30 hats, and 15 t-shirts. The Mission staff will package and distribute these items to the residents over the holiday season. Our nursing leadership team members had fun recounting past memories their donated items brought to mind. Nice display of teamwork and holiday spirit, everyone!

 

Perfusion Holiday Haul for Family in Need

Our Duke Heart Perfusion team chose to adopt a family in need for the holiday season. Here the team is gathered with gifts they bought and wrapped for a single mom and her two children, aged 2 and 7. The team is hoping they’ve helped make this Christmas a very special one for their adoptees.

This is an impressive holiday “haul”! We love how generous our Duke Heart team members are! Nicely done, everyone.

 

Ginsburg’s G2MC Launches Newsletter

The Global Genomic Medicine Collaborative (G2MC), a not for profit created by Geoff Ginsberg, has launched a newsletter. Check it out here to stay abreast of all good things happening with G2MC!

Cooking Class Series: Resounding Success!

Our pilot cooking class series for our Life is Why sponsorship with the American Heart Association concluded on Friday evening. Held for the past seven weeks at the Lakewood YMCA in Durham, their grand finale meal was a chicken and ham jambalaya — which tasted as good as it looked and smelled during preparation. The community participants not only learned foundational cooking skills, but a better understanding of how cooking for themselves at home can significantly impact their health and well-being. They also built a strong sense of camaraderie with one another.

One of our participants had never prepped or cooked a meal before in his life and has since started cooking for himself. Another participant had zero knife skills prior to participating and has been keeping the cooking skill lessons a secret from his wife and extended family members – he surprised all of them earlier today with a medley of dishes he learned to cook over the past two months.

Little known fact: Manesh is handy in a kitchen!

Upcoming Opportunities/Save the Date:

Cardiology Grand Rounds

• December 24: No Grand Rounds. Happy Holidays!
• December 31: No Grand Rounds. Happy Holidays!

Have news to share?

If you have news to share with the Pulse readership, please contact Tracey Koepke, director of communications for Duke Heart at tracey.koepke@duke.edu. We would love to hear about your latest accomplishments, professional news, cool happenings, and any events or opportunities that may be of interest to our Duke Heart family. Please call with any questions: 919-681-2868. Feedback on Pulse is welcome and encouraged.

 

Duke Heart in the News:

 

December 13 — Adam DeVore

Medpage Today

ARNI for Heart Failure: Earlier Is Better

https://www.medpagetoday.com/cardiology/chf/83901

 

December 18 — General Duke Hospital mention

Spectrum News

Rising Flu Cases Prompt Visitation Restrictions at Duke Hospitals

https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nc/charlotte/news/2019/12/18/rising-flu-cases-prompt-visitation-restrictions-at-duke-hospitals

December 18 — Sreekanth Vemulapalli

tctMD/the heart beat

Year in Review: Low-Risk TAVR Trials Big in 2019, but QoL Data Impresses, Too

https://www.tctmd.com/news/year-review-low-risk-tavr-trials-big-2019-qol-data-impresses-too

December 18 — Duke SOM is mentioned

WRAL

New Partnership

http://bit.ly/35YBtly

 

December 19 — Svati Shah

NBC

Miss America 2.0

https://duke.app.box.com/s/mwknzf2tgb44bi5tnb78je4xzp5g5w3r

United Healthcare Update: Bundled Payments

Beginning January 1, 2020, Duke Heart, in partnership with United Healthcare, will begin bundled payments for two episodes of care, CABG and outpatient PCI procedures. This payment model will tie both physician and hospital payments to the quality and cost of services provided under one episode. The episode length will include the anchor stay or anchor procedure plus 90 days beginning the day of discharge. Clinical episodes are designed to include all services that occur within the episode and are covered under one payment.

We have an internal team currently working to plan next steps. Details regarding the bundled payments and any new processes required will be sent directly to physicians who have performed these procedures.

We have done care redesign in the past and look forward to continuing to work on innovating ways to deliver high quality care to our patients with precision payment mechanisms.

Retirement Party Held for Mary Walton

Mary L. Walton, BSN, RN, Cardiothoracic OR schedule manager, formally retired from Duke University Hospital on Friday, Dec. 6. The Duke Heart leadership team hosted a retirement party on Dec. 11 in the Searle Center to celebrate Mary’s 42 years with Duke. Thanks to all who were able to join us!

After completing nursing school, Walton worked briefly at several hospitals including the Medical College of Virginia, University of Tennessee Hospital and Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis. She chose to come to Duke University Hospital in September, 1977. Mary started as a staff nurse in the Acute Cardiac Unit (ACU) and was promoted to Assistant Nurse Manager on 3200. Mary remained on 3200 in the Asst. NM role, and later as a staff nurse, until she transitioned to the CTOR scheduling office in 2001.

“Duke has been a good place for me, always. I’ve enjoyed my time here and a lot has changed in 42 years,” Walton remarked. “I can honestly say it has been a privilege, an honor to work here at Duke with the cardiovascular and thoracic surgery team.”

During her years with Duke, she was able to take two trips to Nicaragua with the pediatric heart team and received the Heart Center Award for Excellence in Cardiovascular Nursing in 2000. Walton has been present for the launch of Duke’s Ventricular Assist Device (VAD) program as well as the start of the Duke Lung and Heart Transplant programs. She has even seen the heart transplant team reach a historic milestone just recently when they became the first U.S. team to perform a DCD adult heart transplant.

Originally from Memphis, Tenn., Mary will continue to live in Durham and is looking forward to traveling, visiting with friends, relaxing at her home and eventually participating in volunteer work at Duke. We are grateful for the many years she has worked to care for our patients and to support our surgical teams. Please join us in wishing her the very best!

Journal Club Held

Kevin Friede did a fantastic job presenting data from the recent NEJM publication “A Genotype-Guided Strategy for Oral P2Y12 Inhibitors in Primary PCI.

Many thanks to Deepak Voora for facilitating the discussion and hosting our fellows at his home.

 

 

 

 

 

Duke Heart Virtual Food Drive

Please consider contributing to the Duke Heart Virtual Food Drive to support the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina. We know it has been a challenging year for many people throughout our region. In the vein of gratitude and community spirit, we thought we’d offer an opportunity to collectively give back to the greater Durham community. For each dollar contributed this month, the Food Bank can purchase $10 worth of food for a family in need. The Duke Heart VFD will run until mid-January. Please help us help the Food Bank!

To contribute, please visit: http://secure.foodbankcenc.org/goto/dukeheart.

CVRC Mandel Scholar & Seed Awards Announced

We are excited to share with you that Robert McGarrah is this year’s Duke Cardiovascular Research Center’s Mandel Scholar awardee. Congratulations, Rob!

McGarrah’s winning proposal:

With the rate of obesity increasing each year, obesity-related diseases have come to the forefront of our nation’s health concerns. One such disease, that has no reliable treatment other than weight loss, is nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). NAFLD is the most common liver disease in the country and has been linked to abnormal heart function. However, how a disease in the liver can affect a distant organ like the heart is unknown. Over the past five years, our lab has made strides in answering this question.  We have found that obesity turns off a certain metabolism pathway in the liver, leading to NAFLD and also increasing the levels of specific amino acids (building blocks of proteins) in the blood. When these amino acids are delivered to the heart, they cause the heart to store more fat, which is unhealthy, and to make more protein, which can cause unhealthy heart muscle thickening. We believe that this liver-heart cross talk might explain why NAFLD causes abnormal heart function. This Mandel Research Scholar Award will be used to test this hypothesis.

Congratulations to the following researchers who have recently been named Mandel Seed Award recipients!

Neil J. Freedman and Christopher L. Holley for their project, Atherogenic Mechanisms of Small Nucleolar RNAs

Atherosclerosis fundamentally involves oxidation, a chemical process that occurs normally in healthy cells but, in excess, can derange the chemical structure of lipids and proteins and thereby adversely affect their function. The pathogenesis of atherosclerosis initiates with oxidation of the cholesterol-rich low-density lipoprotein particles, and perpetuates with excessive oxidative cell signaling— termed “oxidative stress”—in the inner layers of the artery.

This project aims to attenuate excessive oxidative signaling through a novel regulatory mechanism involving particular RNA molecules known as small nucleolar RNAs, or “snoRNAs”, which are expressed throughout the body’s cells. We have found a group of snoRNAs that augment cellular oxidative stress, and we hypothesize that by interfering with the function of these snoRNAs we can mitigate atherosclerosis. For this purpose we will use mice that lack these particular snoRNAs, or “sno-knockout” mice, to build on findings from the first year of Mandel Foundation support for this project. We will compare aortic and brachiocephalic artery atherosclerosis between atherogenic Apoe-/- mice that are either sno-knockout or control (which express normal levels of the snoRNAs).

We recently found that these snoRNAs promote chemical modification (methylation) of specific messenger RNAs. For this reason, we will determine which messenger RNAs are modified by our snoRNAs in smooth muscle cells and macrophages, to discern possible molecular mechanisms by which these snoRNAs exacerbate oxidative stress in cells and thereby aggravate atherosclerosis. Novel results from these studies may ultimately have therapeutic implications for patients with atherosclerosis.

Ravi Karra, collaborating with Christopher Kontos for their project, Modeling the myovascular niche using human induced pluripotent stem cells:

The heart is made up multiple cell types including muscle cells, called cardiomyocytes, and cells that line the blood vessels, called endothelial cells. Cardiomyocytes and endothelial cells are tightly coupled and make up myovascular niches within the heart. Interactions between cardiomyocytes and endothelial cells are critical to heart development, heart function, and the progression of heart failure. Thus, a better understanding of how cardiomyocytes and endothelial cells interact can lead to new treatments for cardiovascular disease. Here, we present work to develop an in vitro model of the myovascular niche and to identify novel mechanisms for regulating cardiac growth and regeneration.

Sudha Shenoy collaborating with Jonathan Campbell for their project, The role of ubiquitination in glucagon-induced signaling bias and insulin secretion:

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) and associated insulin resistance contribute to the etiology of atherosclerosis and constitute major risk factors leading to morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular disease. The peptide hormone glucagon and the class B seven-transmembrane G protein-coupled receptors that are activated by glucagon play a fundamental role in regulating blood glucose levels. These receptors, namely the glucagon receptor (GCGR) and the glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor (GLP-1R) also regulate insulin release from pancreatic beta cells and are currently major targets for developing new treatments and drugs for T2D.

Glucagon binding elevates the second messenger cAMP through the activation of G proteins, and furthermore, the activated receptors are subjected to desensitization and internalization through recruitment of additional proteins, namely, GPCR kinases, ꞵ-arrestin and RAMPs. GLP-1R agonists enhance insulin secretion and reduce food intake, which promotes glucose lowering and reductions in body weight in patients with T2D. Glucagon agonists also increase satiety and induce energy expenditure, suggesting the combination of GCGR and GLP-1R agonism could have additive effects on weight reduction and further improve glycemia. Consequently, the GCGR is an emerging target in anti-diabetic therapy, particularly in the development of GCGR/GLP-1R co-agonists. However, there still remains an incomplete understanding of the signaling mechanisms invoked by either the GCGR or the GLP-1R, which limits the drug discovery to tackle T2D and associated morbidity.

In this context, we have now identified that GCGR is subjected to ubiquitin-dependent regulation. Ubiquitin is a small protein that acts as a signaling code when appended to active protein complexes. Our data suggests that ubiquitination of the GCGR increases signaling through G proteins, whereas ligand binding causes de-ubiquitination, leading to decreased G protein coupling and increased ꞵ-arrestin binding and activity. There is limited information on the regulation of GLP-1R by ubiquitination. Thus, our studies will test the role of GCGR and GLP-1R ubiquitination in the propagation of signaling via these transducers and identify the molecular mechanism(s) that link ubiquitin-dependent signaling to cellular function.

Duke Heart Holiday Gathering Held

Thanks to those of you who were able to join us at the Washington Duke Inn on Dec. 6 for our annual holiday gathering!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Upcoming Opportunities/Save the Date:

Cardiology Grand Rounds

This week we are holding our final faculty meeting of the year. Please join us!

Upcoming Grand Rounds:

• December 24: No Grand Rounds. Happy Holidays!
• December 31: No Grand Rounds. Happy Holidays!

 

Have news to share?

If you have news to share with the Pulse readership, please contact Tracey Koepke, director of communications for Duke Heart at tracey.koepke@duke.edu. We would love to hear about your latest accomplishments, professional news, cool happenings, and any events or opportunities that may be of interest to our Duke Heart family. Please call with any questions: 919-681-2868. Feedback on Pulse is welcome and encouraged.

 

Duke Heart in the News:

 

December 6 — Manesh Patel

Pharmacy Times

Causes of Drug Shortages in the United States

https://www.pharmacytimes.com/insights/implications-of-potential-heparin-shortage/causes-of-drug-shortages-in-the-united-states

 

December 9 – Duke mention

The Columbus Dispatch

Ohioan’s adult heart becomes first in US history donated after circulatory death

https://www.dispatch.com/news/20191209/ohioanrsquos-adult-heart-becomes-first-in-us-history-donated-after-circulatory-death

 

December 10 — John Alexander

Medpage Today

FDA Panel Shoots Down Afib Cardioversion Drug Over Safety

medpagetoday.com/cardiology/arrhythmias/83816

 

December 11 — Albert Sun

Washington Post

A genetic mutation is associated with increased risk of heart failure in black people, study finds

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2019/12/11/genetic-mutation-is-associated-with-increased-risk-heart-failure-black-people-study-finds/

 

December 11 — Ann Marie Navar

Healthcare Finance News

Ensuring that new health tech doesn’t widen health inequity gaps

https://www.healthcarefinancenews.com/video/ensuring-new-health-tech-doesnt-widen-health-inequity-gaps

 

December 11 — Chiara Melloni

Healio/Cardiology Today

Type 2 MI confers elevated risk for death within 1-year follow-up

https://www.healio.com/cardiology/vascular-medicine/news/online/%7B9cc19f33-d5dc-481f-b586-cb108b423b64%7D/type-2-mi-confers-elevated-risk-for-death-within-1-year-follow-up

 

December 11 — Jessica Lunsford-Avery (psychiatry)

Medpage Today

Long Naps, Lots of Sleep Tied to Higher Stroke Risk

https://www.medpagetoday.com/neurology/strokes/83836

 

December 11 — Haider Warraich (alum)

ABC News

More Americans are dying at home rather than in hospitals

https://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/americans-dying-home-hospitals-67672995

 

December 12 — Chetan Patel

Medscape

Duke Doctors Successfully Transplant ‘Resuscitated’ Heart

https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/922558

 

December 12 — Adam DeVore

Medpage Today

Entresto Holds Up in the Real World … But Not for Everyone

https://www.medpagetoday.com/cardiology/chf/83862

 

December 13 — Dan Mark

TCTMD/the heart beat

EXCEL Investigators Respond to Data Suppression Claims as Debate Erupts Online

https://www.tctmd.com/news/excel-investigators-respond-data-suppression-claims-debate-erupts-online

Doctors at Duke University Hospital Perform First DCD Heart Transplant in U.S.

A heart transplant team at Duke University Hospital became the first in the U.S. to transplant an adult heart into a recipient through a process known as Donation after Circulatory Death, or DCD.

Duke is one of five centers in the United States that has been approved to perform DCD heart transplants as part of a recently launched clinical trial of a device to circulate warm, oxygenated blood through organs.

Traditionally, heart donations have depended on a declaration of brain death. Donation after circulatory death occurs after the heart has stopped beating and the person’s death has been declared. DCD transplantation is done regularly in the U.S. for organs other than the heart, although DCD heart transplants have been conducted in Europe and Australia.

“This procedure has the potential to expand the donor pool by up to 30 percent,” said Jacob Schroder, M.D., who performed the transplant and is surgical director of Duke’s Heart Transplant program. “Increasing the number of donated hearts would decrease the wait time and the number of deaths that occur while people are waiting.

“It’s important to conduct this clinical trial to determine whether those outcomes are realized,” Schroder said. “We are grateful for the courage and generosity of both the donors and recipients.”

The DCD heart transplantation milestone occurred Sunday after a donated heart was deemed viable for transplant. The recipient, a military veteran who received his heart through the Mission Act, is recovering well.

*A significant number of news outlets carried this story. Please see our “in the news” section for links.*

It took a significant amount of teamwork and partnership to make this DCD transplant possible. First and foremost, we want to acknowledge the courage shown by the family members of the heart donor who are dealing with a profound loss in their lives. Our transplant recipient and his family have also demonstrated tremendous courage and trust in our care. We’d also like to recognize our outside partners in this landmark case, including Lifeline of Ohio; The Ohio State Wexner Medical Center, and of course, TransMedics. We have an incredible team at Duke and we want to thank all of you by name, but our list is incomplete, so for now we’d like to thank all members of our heart failure team, the heart transplant program, OR team members, surgeons, research coordinators, cardiac anesthesiologists, perfusionists, nurses and techs, as well as the care providers working directly with our heart recipient, especially Ben Bryner, Jacob Schroder, Carmelo Milano, Mihai Podgoreanu, Chet Patel, Sarah Casalinova, Greg Tipton, Augie Doty and many more. A lot of people played an important part in this process. We know more people will be saved in the future because of the vital work you’ve been doing. You’ve continued to build the legacy of innovation, research and care at Duke Heart. Great job, everyone!

 

New Cardiology Fellows Matched for 2020!

Please join us in welcoming our newest cardiology fellows into our program starting July 2020. We look forward to working with this incredible group of physicians in the coming years! Many thanks to our current fellows and faculty for their help in interviewing and recruiting our incoming group.

• Matt Carlisle, MD, Duke
• Alyssa “Ali” Corley, MD, Beth Israel Deaconess
• Karen Flores Rosario, MD, UTSW
• Joe Lerman, MD, Duke
• Dan Loriaux, MD, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
• Dennis Narcisse, MD, Duke
• Sarah Snow, MD, UCLA
• Cara Wiest, MD, Beth Israel Deaconess

Congratulations to all!

 

Jessica Regan Named Mandel Fellow

Jessica Regan, Internal Medicine Resident and R38 appointee, has been named the new Mandel Fellow. This is an internal award, sponsored by the Duke Cardiovascular Research Center and the Mandel Center at Duke. Her research mentor is Svati Shah.

Project summary: Clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP) is the age-related accumulation of DNA mutations in certain cell types and has been associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Interestingly, recent advances in genetics have shown that variations in the DNA that individuals are born with contribute to risk of disease, but also that DNA changes can be acquired with aging and through certain exposures. My interest in CHIP and cardiometabolic disease has inspired new hypotheses about the exposures that may contribute to the acquisition of CHIP in addition to aging. My ultimate research objective is to (1) elucidate the role of metabolic pathways, genomics and inflammation to improve cardiovascular outcomes and (2) explore mechanisms connecting exposures to CHIP as a novel biomarker and ultimately identify therapeutic targets to limit disease development and progression. We often use the phrase “bench to bedside” when discussing translational research, but a mentor previously pointed out to me that the real course is bedside to bench and then back to the bedside. Now as an Internal Medicine resident and research scholar I am able to approach patients’ needs and the gaps in our knowledge from a new perspective. Congratulations, Jessica!

 

Shoutout for Jordan Pomeroy

In a note from Tony Gutierrez to Anna Lisa Crowley on Dec. 7, we received a really terrific shout-out for Jordan Pomeroy. “He covered a very busy VA Cath Lab yesterday and did a fantastic job. He definitely went above and beyond what is expected of a fellow by getting cases set up despite having p.m. clinic and had a great attitude about it. We are lucky to have someone like him as a fellow here at Duke. Best of all he made it out in time to watch his Ducks beat the Utes in the Pac-12 Championship. Thank again, Jordan for your hard work.” – Tony

Way to go, Jordan, and congrats to you and the Oregon Ducks!

ICYMI: Tennyson Paper Published

Congratulations to Carolina “Callie” Tennyson, DNP, ACNP-BC, AACC, one of our amazing APPs on the inpatient cardiology team, for her recent publication in the journal Geriatric Nursing, “Family presence during resuscitation: Updated review and clinical pearls”. To read, please visit: http://bit.ly/2s85eBw.

Nice work, Callie!

 

 

 

Upcoming Opportunities/Save the Date:

Mary Walton Retirement Party: This week!

Please join us on Wednesday, Dec. 11 from 12-2 p.m. in the Searle Center for a celebration of Mary L. Walton, RN, BSN, Duke Heart’s cardiothoracic OR scheduling manager, who is retiring from Duke Health after 42 years of service. All are welcome!

 

Cardiology Grand Rounds

This week, please join us for Heart Center Grand Rounds on Tuesday at 5 p.m. in DN 2003. Rich Krasuski, Jack Haney, and Sharon McCartney will lead a discussion on the medical and surgical management of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH).

Upcoming Grand Rounds:

• December 17: (5 p.m.) Faculty Staff Meeting
• December 24: No Grand Rounds. Happy Holidays!
• December 31: No Grand Rounds. Happy Holidays!

January 17, 2020: Please plan to attend a special Medicine Grand Rounds in the Searle Center Lecture Hall. Damon Tweedy, MD, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and author of Black Man in a White Coat, will present the annual Martin Luther King Jr. memorial lecture.

Have news to share?

If you have news to share with the Pulse readership, please contact Tracey Koepke, director of communications for Duke Heart at tracey.koepke@duke.edu. We would love to hear about your latest accomplishments, professional news, cool happenings, and any events or opportunities that may be of interest to our Duke Heart family. Please call with any questions: 919-681-2868. Feedback on Pulse is welcome and encouraged.

 

Duke Heart in the News:

November 27 — Sunil Rao

TCTMD/the heart beat

Subtherapeutic Heparin: As Stories Multiply, Concerns Mount

https://www.tctmd.com/news/subtherapeutic-heparin-stories-multiply-concerns-mount

December 3 — Michael Dee Gunn

Triangle Business Journal

Duke research could be ‘big deal’ for cancer vaccines

(subscription required, no link available)

December 6 — Joe Turek with Louise Markert, Barton Haynes

STAT News

Families are reeling after FDA rejects therapy for kids born without a thymus gland

Families are reeling after FDA rejects therapy for kids born without a thymus gland

 

DCD Heart Transplant coverage

Doctors revive donor heart to perform successful transplant in U.S., CBS News

How a device used to revive a heart could “revolutionize” transplants, CBS This Morning

Doctors perform first heart transplant of its kind on military veteran: ‘It’s a monumental leap forward’, Yahoo News

Doctors ‘reanimate’ heart for first-of-its-kind transplant in US, CNN

Heart from dead donor revived, transplanted into veteran in US first, Fox News

First US heart transplant from dead donor successful, offering promise for life-saving procedure, USA Today, Daily World

Military veteran gets first heart transplant of its kind at Duke Hospital, ABC 11 story, aired in 20 other outlets in US

Veteran becomes first US recipient of innovative heart transplant, Military Times

Duke University doctors perform first-of-its-kind heart transplant, Raleigh News & Observer, Durham Herald-Sun

Duke University physicians perform first ‘reanimated’ heart transplant, WRAL TechWire

Doctors brought a heart back to life in a transplant, the first of its kind in the US, MSN

Doctors successfully brought a dead heart back to life, BGR

Thanksgiving Week 2019:

We hope that you all had some time over the last week to spend with family and loved ones.  Most importantly, we wanted to thank the many faculty, fellows, and heart center staff that make caring for our patients and each other.   Over the last year we have all had many times when we have been able to celebrate moments of achievement in patient care, research, and education.

We have also had many times when we were challenged as a group to support each other.  I want to specifically thank all of you that have sacrificed your time and provided support to our colleagues and staff at when needed.  It is a time of year as we enter the holidays where we have some moments to appreciate the many blessings that we all have.

 

 

 

Duke First to Perform a Adult DCD heart transplant in the US

Last night Jacob Schroder and a CT surgery team did the first Adult DCD heart transplant in the US!!!!  This is Donation after Circulatory Death – where the heart stops after withdrawal of support and then is reanimated outside the body with the transmedics organ care system.  Jacob noted that is was as always “an amazing team effort. Sarah Casalinova has really been the work horse of the whole EXPAND Heart and DCD trials, from the beginning. Ben Bryner went on the procurement and was instrumental. Carmelo Milano assisted Jacob on the redo/explant, and implant.”  It was “a tremendous team effort  that the whole institution should be proud of!”

We will have more of this story in the upcoming weeks and look forward to more innovative ways to improve our transplant program.

Joint Commission Site Visit: Stroke

Joint Commission surveyors will be on site at Duke University Hospital tomorrow, Dec. 2^nd and Wednesday, Dec. 3^rd to electively review our Comprehensive Stroke Program as part of our normal biennial review cycle. It is anticipated that the surveyor(s) will spend most of the time interviewing staff and providers who participate in the care of stroke patients in the ED, on Neuro units and in Radiology. They will evaluate care of patients who undergo carotid endarterectomy procedures. With current capacity restraints, stroke patients can be located throughout DUH; therefore, please be prepared for them to visit anywhere within Duke University Hospital.

Save the Date! Mary Walton Retirement Party

Please join us on Wednesday, Dec. 11 from 12-2 p.m. in the Searle Center for a celebration of Mary L. Walton, RN, BSN, Duke Heart’s cardiothoracic OR scheduling manager, who is retiring from Duke Health after 42 years of service. All are welcome!

Upcoming Opportunities/Save the Date:

Cardiology Grand Rounds

This week, Cardiology Grand Rounds will feature cardiology fellow Zachary Wegermann. Please join us on Tuesday, Dec. 3 at 7:15 a.m. in DN 2003.

Upcoming Grand Rounds:

• December 10: (5 p.m.) Heart Center Grand Rounds on CTEPH
• December 17: (5 p.m.) Faculty Staff Meeting
• December 24: No Grand Rounds. Happy Holidays!
• December 31: No Grand Rounds. Happy Holidays!

 

January 17, 2020: Please plan to attend a special Medicine Grand Rounds in the Searle Center Lecture Hall. Damon Tweedy, MD, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and author of Black Man in a White Coat, will present the annual Martin Luther King Jr. memorial lecture.

 

March 26, 2020: 15^th Annual Duke Quality & Safety Conference, Durham Convention Center.

The keynote speaker is Brent C. James, MD, MStat, a clinical professor at Stanford University School of Medicine, who will be presenting “Thriving under pay-for-value: the best clinical result at the lowest necessary cost.” The deadline for abstracts for the Duke Health Quality and Safety Conference is Dec. 2 at 5:00 p.m.

 

Have news to share?

If you have news to share with the Pulse readership, please contact Tracey Koepke, director of communications for Duke Heart at tracey.koepke@duke.edu. We would love to hear about your latest accomplishments, professional news, cool happenings, and any events or opportunities that may be of interest to our Duke Heart family. Please call with any questions: 919-681-2868. Feedback on Pulse is welcome and encouraged.

 

Duke Heart in the News:

 

November 25 — Matthew Sparks (Nephrology)

MedPage Today

Clinical Challenge: Hypertension in Chronic Kidney Disease

https://www.medpagetoday.com/clinical-challenges/chronic-kidney-disease/83555

CardioMEMs Program Launches at VA

The cardiology team at Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center launched their CardioMEMs program this week. This program, implemented by Rajesh Swaminathan, Paul Rosenberg, Tony Carnicelli, Sara Jensen, and Susan Roberts, aims to reduce hospital readmissions for veterans with congestive heart failure. Three patients underwent successful implantation of the CardioMEMs pressure monitor by Sunil Rao with help from fellows Tony Carnicelli, Jaidip Chakravarti, and Navid Nafissi. Congrats to the VA Cardiology Team – this will certainly be of big benefit to our veterans!

Joint Commission Site Visit Announced: Stroke

Joint Commission surveyors will be on site at Duke University Hospital on Dec. 2^nd and 3^rd to electively review our Comprehensive Stroke Program as part of our normal biennial review cycle. It is anticipated that the surveyor(s) will spend most of the time interviewing staff and providers that participate in the care of stroke patients in the ED, on Neuro units and in Radiology. They will evaluate care of patients that undergo carotid endarterectomy procedures. With current capacity restraints, stroke patients can be located throughout DUH; therefore, please be prepared for them to visit anywhere within Duke University Hospital.

Upcoming Opportunities/Save the Date:

Cardiology Grand Rounds

We will not hold Cardiology Grand Rounds this week due to the holiday. Happy Thanksgiving!

Upcoming Grand Rounds:

• December 3: Zach Wegermann
• December 10: (5 p.m.) Heart Center Grand Rounds on CTEPH
• December 17: (5 p.m.) Faculty Staff Meeting
• December 24: No Grand Rounds. Happy Holidays!
• December 31: No Grand Rounds. Happy Holidays!

 

January 17, 2020: Please plan to attend a special Medicine Grand Rounds in the Searle Center Lecture Hall. Damon Tweedy, MD, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and author of Black Man in a White Coat, will present the annual Martin Luther King Jr. memorial lecture.

 

March 26, 2020: 15^th Annual Duke Quality & Safety Conference, Durham Convention Center.

The keynote speaker is Brent C. James, MD, MStat, a clinical professor at Stanford University School of Medicine, who will be presenting “Thriving under pay-for-value: the best clinical result at the lowest necessary cost.” The deadline for abstracts for the Duke Health Quality and Safety Conference is Dec. 2 at 5:00 p.m.

 

Have news to share?

If you have news to share with the Pulse readership, please contact Tracey Koepke, director of communications for Duke Heart at tracey.koepke@duke.edu. We would love to hear about your latest accomplishments, professional news, cool happenings, and any events or opportunities that may be of interest to our Duke Heart family. Please call with any questions: 919-681-2868. Feedback on Pulse is welcome and encouraged.

 

Duke Heart in the News:

November 16 — Pamela Douglas

TCTMD/the heart beat

ISCHEMIA: Invasive Strategy No Better Than Meds for CV Events

https://www.tctmd.com/news/ischemia-invasive-strategy-no-better-meds-cv-events

November 16 — L. Kristin Newby

Medscape

COLCOT: Colchicine Shows Promise to Reduce Events After MI

https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/921460?src=rss

 

November 17 — Manesh Patel

TCTMD/the heart beat

More Adverse Events, Higher Costs With Impella: New Observational Studies

https://www.tctmd.com/news/more-adverse-events-higher-costs-impella-new-observational-studies

 

November 17 — E. Magnus Ohman

MedPage Today

Post-ISCHEMIA: Focus Turns to Testing for Stable Angina

https://www.medpagetoday.com/meetingcoverage/aha/83400

 

November 18 — Duke Clinical Research Institute is mentioned

Medscape

Vericiguat Hits Primary Clinical-Efficacy Endpoint in HFrEF

https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/921492?src=rss

 

November 18 — L. Kristin Newby

ABC News/Associated Press

New, old drugs may offer fresh ways to fight heart disease

https://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/drugs-offer-ways-fight-heart-disease-67111590

 

November 20 — Renato Lopes

TCTMD/the heart beat

Some A-fib Patients May Need a Bit More Aspirin After PCI: AUGUSTUS

https://www.tctmd.com/news/some-fib-patients-may-need-bit-more-aspirin-after-pci-augustus

 

November 21 — Svati Shah

TCTMD/the heart beat

Apabetalone Falls Short in Diabetic ACS Patients With Low HDL: BETonMACE

https://www.tctmd.com/news/apabetalone-falls-short-diabetic-acs-patients-low-hdl-betonmace

 

November 21 – Duke Clinical Research Institute is mentioned

DICardiology.com

Investigational Drug Vericiguat Reduced the Risk of Heart Failure Hospitalization in VICTORIA Trial

https://www.dicardiology.com/content/investigational-drug-vericiguat-reduced-risk-heart-failure-hospitalization-victoria-trial

 

Duke Heart team members are attending the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions at the Philadelphia Convention Center in Philadelphia. Highlights have included the presidential address given earlier today by one or our own –  Robert Harrington; the annual Duke reception hosted by the Duke Clinical Research Institute and Duke Heart at the Loews Philadelphia Hotel on Saturday evening, as well as our faculty and fellows participating in numerous important research presentations including the several late breaking science.

Following the Duke reception, Tom Bashore was presented the Laennec Master Clinician Award by the American Heart Association. This honor is given annually in recognition of a lifetime achievement in patient care and teaching in cardiology. Congratulations, Tom!

As with most of the meetings – I am reminded by the tremendous impact that Duke has on our clinical and research communities.  It is present at the sessions – with the science, the interactions with leaders in the field, and of most notably with continuous work by our fellows.  The meeting had over 125 presentations or talks by Duke related people.  Included are some photos – intended to highlight the contributions of the Duke group.

Shout-out to Sipa Yankey

One of our cardiology fellows, Sipa Yankey, rescued a patient this week. A Duke employee lost consciousness in the hallway when Sipa happened to be walking by. Sipa was able to get the patient to the Duke University Hospital emergency department where he was found to be having a large inferoposterior MI. The cardiac catheterization lab team was activated; Sunil Rao and interventional fellow Jenn Rymer were able to stent the artery quickly. It was Sipa’s rapid triage that really saved the patient, according to Rao. We are happy to report that the patient is doing very well! Great teamwork, everyone!

 

DUCCS Leadership Transition

We are pleased to announce that Richard Krasuski will be taking on the role of the Director of the Duke University Cooperative Cardiovascular Society (DUCCS). Rich received his medical school degree from Harvard before completing internal medicine residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He first came to Duke as a Cardiology fellow in 1997 and completed additional training in adult congenital heart disease. After several years on faculty at Cleveland Clinic, we were fortunate to recruit him back to Duke in 2015 as the Director of the Adult Congenital Heart Center. He has a busy clinical practice spanning a wide spectrum of heart problems from simple shunt lesions like patent foramen ovale to more complicated disorders, like tetralogy of Fallot, transposition of the great arteries and single ventricles. He is also heavily involved in the Center for Pulmonary Vascular Disease and initiated a program in balloon pulmonary angioplasty for thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension. He has also been extensively involved in both clinical research and medical education here at Duke, nationally and internationally. In recent years, he has served as an active Board Member for DUCCS and he is very excited to take on this new leadership role.

We look forward to having Rich serve in this new role to further enhance the unique network and collaboration represented by the DUCCS membership.

We thank Robert Mentz who has served as the Director of DUCCS since joining the cardiology faculty in 2014. During his five years in this role, he has done a tremendous job enhancing the DUCCS program. His efforts were instrumental in key initiatives such as the Visiting Professor Program as well as the Big-Sib program where current fellows are paired with like-minded external mentors. The DUCCS network has been pivotal for fellows transitioning to their first faculty position and for continued networking throughout careers. The well-attended annual DUCCS dinners at AHA and ACC represent another cornerstone of the program. Moreover, the DUCCS clinical research network has continued to grow and was a leader enrolling in recent and ongoing trials such as TOPCAT, PROMISE, PRIME-HF and TRANSFORM-HF. Educational efforts have also grown significantly including the upcoming 20th Anniversary Andrew Wallace Cardiology Symposium scheduled for May 2, 2020 at the Washington Duke Inn. All are invited to join for this exciting upcoming symposium, which will feature many members of the DUCCS network highlighting key practice changing data across cardiovascular disease. We’re thrilled to announce that one of our keynote speakers for this symposium will be Dan Ariely, the well-known Duke behavioral economist made famous for his TED talks and three New York Times best-sellers (http://danariely.com/).

Finally, Rob has provided important leadership enhancing connections with the broad membership of DUCCS and striving to enhance membership diversity. We are grateful for the work he has done. Great job!

Use of Tracking Numbers on DukeHealth.org Heart Pages

Starting Wednesday, November 20, you may notice “new” phone numbers listed on some of our DukeHealth.org web pages. The Duke Health marketing team will begin using a tracking phone number on pages related to Duke Heart service locations and provider pages. The only listings that will be impacted will be those that use the Heart Center Communications phone number (919-681-5816). Please note that we are not discontinuing the HCC number or hub. It will still be an active phone number and all phone calls will still route to the Heart Center Communications team.

Use of the tracking number will allow the marketing team to match specific phone calls to website viewing sessions in order for them to get a better sense of what users are doing on the site prior to placing a call. This plan has already been implemented for Primary Care, Weight Loss Surgery and Urgent Care.

If you have any questions or concerns about this, please contact Tracey Koepke, Director of Communications at tracey.koepke@duke.edu or Greg Shelton at greg.shelton@duke.edu.

 

Duke Heart Holiday Party: Save the Date

Be sure to check your email (especially the “clutter” folder!) for your emailed invitation to the annual Duke Heart holiday party, which will be held December 6. Invitations were extended to all cardiology and CT surgery faculty, fellows and residents, as well as hospital clinical team leads and higher. Questions? Contact Tracey Koepke, Director of Communications. RSVPs are due by November 22.

 

Upcoming Opportunities/Save the Date:

Cardiology Grand Rounds

This week, on Tuesday, Nov. 19, we’ll hold a cardiology faculty meeting. Please join us!

Upcoming Grand Rounds:

• November 26: No Grand Rounds. Happy Thanksgiving!
• December 3: Zach Wegermann
• December 10: (5 p.m.) Heart Center Grand Rounds on CTEPH
• December 17: (5 p.m.) Faculty Staff Meeting
• December 24: No Grand Rounds. Happy Holidays!
• December 31: No Grand Rounds. Happy Holidays!

Have news to share?

If you have news to share with the Pulse readership, please contact Tracey Koepke, director of communications for Duke Heart at tracey.koepke@duke.edu. We would love to hear about your latest accomplishments, professional news, cool happenings, and any events or opportunities that may be of interest to our Duke Heart family. Please call with any questions: 919-681-2868. Feedback on Pulse is welcome and encouraged.

 

Duke Heart in the News:

November 8 — Mitchell Krucoff

tctMD/the heart beat

Conversations in Cardiology: Should Interventional Cardiologists Get Paid for Being On Call?

https://www.tctmd.com/news/conversations-cardiology-should-interventional-cardiologists-get-paid-being-call

 

November 8 — Renato Lopes

Medscape

‘Simple’ Way to Stop, Restart DOACs for Surgery in Patients With Atrial Fib

https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/921015

 

November 12 — L. Kristin Newby

Medical News Today

Late evening eating may compromise women’s heart

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/326990.php#1

 

November 14 — Ann Marie Navar

Healio/Cardiology Today

FDA panel unanimously supports CV event risk reduction indication for icosapent ethyl

http://bit.ly/2OhM9o2

 

November 14 — Thomas Ortel (Hematology)

MedPage Today

FDA Advisors All In on Vascepa for CV Risk Reduction

https://www.medpagetoday.com/cardiology/prevention/83352

 

 

Chief’s Message:

Thank you to all of our Veterans this week for the sacrifices they have made for all of our freedoms.  Some of the best health care experiences our faculty and fellows have are around caring for this special group of women and men.  We hope to continue to play a role in their lives from our relationship with the Durham VA and our great team of cardiologists that serve them, to the increasing interactions across the health system we have with veterans.

NP Week: November 10-16

Nurse Practitioner Week starts today. It is held annually to celebrate these exceptional health care team members and is promoted by the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, the primary national organization working to advocate for the profession. Our Duke Heart NPs are awesome, so please remember to give them some thanks this week!

ACC Legislative Conference Held

Representing North Carolina, a contingent of physicians and advanced practice providers including Jimmy Tcheng participated in the 2019 ACC Legislative Conference, November 3-5, in Washington DC.  The highlight of the conference was the day spent on Capitol Hill visiting our congressional legislators and staffers. This included visits to the offices of Senators Richard Burr and Thom Tillis, and Representatives G.K. Butterfield, George Holding, Dan Bishop, Patrick McHenry, Mark Meadows, and Alma Adams. Talking points centered around the need for legislative action to decrease clinician administrative burden and promote clinician well-being, to modernizing anti-kickback statutes to eliminate barriers to participation in alternative payment models, accelerating the timeline for APPs to order and supervise cardiac rehabilitation (from 2024 to 2020), and to raise the tobacco and vaping products minimum purchase age to 21.

Shown here, left to right: James Tcheng, Thomas Stuckey, Senator Thom Tillis, Hadley Wilson, Olivia Gilbert, William Abernethy, Bhavani Balaravi, James Zidar, Stephanie Martin, Amy Winiger. Way to go, Jimmy!

ACC Type II MI Roundtable

James Tcheng, Kristin Newby, Jennifer Rymer and Tracy Wang were invited to contribute to the American College of Cardiology Type II Myocardial Infarction Roundtable held at the ACC Heart House in Washington, DC on November 4. The Roundtable focused on three topic areas: definition and diagnosis of Type II MI, documentation and coding, and patient management and clinician education. Newby gave a presentation entitled “4th Universal Definition of MI – Is Further Clarification Needed?” and Tcheng described the Duke experience in his talk “Revisiting the Inclusion of Type 2 MI Code in AMI MS-DRG”. Tcheng and Rymer were also on the Planning Committee for the Roundtable. Action items identified were several, including the need for additional educational resources for clinicians about hsTn and Type II MI, criteria to operationalize the 4^th Universal Definition of MI, changes to the ICD-10 coding system (specifically to add a code for myocardial injury), advocacy to remove Type 2 MI from MI DRGs, and even an “app” focused on Type II MI.

Shown here, from left to right (Planning Committee): James Tcheng, James de Lemos (UT Southwestern), Jennifer Rymer, Abhinav Goyal (Emory – and former Duke Cardiology Fellow), Severa Chavez (ACC), Dharam Kumbhani (UT Southwestern), Gregory Dehmer (Carilion), James Januzzi (Mass General), Ty Gluckman (Providence).

Great work, everyone!

 

Perfusion Team Lounge Area Opens

We are excited to announce that our perfusion team received a surprise when the new perfusion team lounge opened this week! It’s located in room 7243. Duke has one of the largest perfusion teams in the country and care for some of our most complex patients. A big shout out for the team on getting their well-deserved space!

 

Life is Why Cooking Class Kick-off

Duke Heart is the local American Heart Association Life Is Why sponsor. As part of our multi-year sponsorship, we are offering cooking classes and blood pressure screenings to help manage heart disease risks in our community. The first round of cooking classes kicked off this week and participants appeared to really enjoy the opportunity!

 

 

 

 

 

 

7W Staffer Wins Duke MBB Tix

Eugene Washington, MD, Chancellor for Health Affairs, Duke University; President and CEO, DUHS has started raffling off Duke Men’s basketball tickets. Jeremy James, one of our amazing staff members on DMP 7West, won a pair in the first round of the raffle! The tickets were presented to him on Wednesday. Congrats, Jeremy — enjoy the game! Go Duke.

National Radiologic Technology Week: Nov. 3-9

This past week was National Radiologic Technology Week, an effort promoted by the American Society of Radiologic Technologists. The ASRT celebrates this week each year to recognize the vital work of radiation therapy professionals play in patient care and health care safety. We’d like to thank the radiology technologists who work throughout Duke, but especially those who support patients and practitioners here in Duke Heart. In particular, the Duke Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Center, which is led by Duke Cardiologists Raymond Kim and Robert Judd, employs radiology technologists with an advanced degree in Magnetic Resonance Imaging, allowing us to offer highly specialized imaging of the heart and vasculature, leading to improved diagnostics and treatment capabilities. Thanks for all of the great work you all do!

 

Poster Display Regulations

Just a quick reminder that posters are not allowed to be displayed on easels throughout the Medical Center (Duke South, Cancer Center, Duke Medicine Pavilion, and Duke University Hospital). Easels are not permitted in these areas as they pose a safety risk. If you’re interested in submitting content for display on digital signs throughout Medical Center, you can email hospitalcommunications@duke.edu. If you’re interested in placing a poster in one of the display cases in the Medical Center, you can make that request through the Hospital Communications team. Please note that all designs must be submitted for approval before going to print. If you would like assistance with the overall process, you can also direct questions to Tracey Koepke, director of communications for Duke Heart. Thank you!

 

Duke Heart Holiday Party: Save the Date

Be sure to check your email (especially the “clutter” folder!) for your emailed invitation to the annual Duke Heart holiday party, which will be held December 6. Invitations were extended to all cardiology and CT surgery faculty, fellows and residents, as well as hospital clinical team leads and higher. Questions? Contact Tracey Koepke, Director of Communications. RSVPs are due by November 22.

 

Upcoming Opportunities/Save the Date:

Coming up: AHA Scientific Sessions!

The annual Duke reception at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions will be held on Saturday, November 16, from 5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. at the Loews Philadelphia Hotel, located conveniently across the street from the conference center. An appointment request was sent by the DCRI planning team. Be sure to look for that and accept to RSVP.

 

Cardiology Grand Rounds

Medicine Grand rounds this last week has Kim Eagle, MD from Michigan presenting.  He gave a wonderful talk on Peri-operative management and also lots of life lessons.  We enjoyed having Dr. Eagle visit with our faculty and fellows.

 

 

 

 

This week we welcome Javed Butler from the University of Mississippi for Lessons Learned in Drug Development. Please join us on Tuesday, Nov. 12, 5 p.m., DN, 2003.

Upcoming Grand Rounds:

• November 19: Faculty Staff Meeting
• November 26: No Grand Rounds. Happy Thanksgiving!
• December 3: Zach Wegermann
• December 10: (5 p.m.) Heart Center Grand Rounds on CTEPH
• December 17: (5 p.m.) Faculty Staff Meeting
• December 24: No Grand Rounds. Happy Holidays!
• December 31: No Grand Rounds. Happy Holidays!

 

Have news to share?

If you have news to share with the Pulse readership, please contact Tracey Koepke, director of communications for Duke Heart at tracey.koepke@duke.edu. We would love to hear about your latest accomplishments, professional news, cool happenings, and any events or opportunities that may be of interest to our Duke Heart family. Please call with any questions: 919-681-2868. Feedback on Pulse is welcome and encouraged.

 

Duke Heart in the News:

November 1 — Project Baseline mention

Investor Place

Why Alphabet’s Acquisition of Fitbit Is a Master Move

Why Alphabet’s Acquisition of Fitbit Is a Master Move

 

November 4 — J. Kevin Harrison

MedPage Today

Novel TAVR Technique: Single-Side Vascular Access

https://www.medpagetoday.com/cardiology/pci/83116

 

November 7 — General Duke mention (Leapfrog Safety Grades)

WRAL

Watchdog group gives 2 Triangle hospitals ‘C’ grades

https://www.wral.com/watchdog-group-gives-2-triangle-hospitals-c-grades/18750228/

Chief’s message:

Every week, I spend the Sunday looking to put together the stories of the week with the help of Tracey Koepke who has faithfully captured all the news and updates that faculty and fellows send.  This Sunday ritual provides me time to review and understand the amazing work and promise of our cardiovascular group.  This week the edition is considerably more difficult as a member of our division deals with the unimaginable and sudden loss of family over the last week.  Many have reached out for ways to support and help, and this weekend we saw the entire community come together to support him and his family. With this in mind, I am grateful for the compassion of the Duke Cardiology and Health community.  We will continue to use our collective strength by being present and providing support now, and importantly, in the future to help our colleague as he needs us.

 

Highlights of the week:

Precision Medicine Update: Durham VAMC

As part of the PHarmacogenomics Action for cancer SuRvivorship (PHASeR) program, the VA launched its first interruptive clinical decision support tools for selected opioid medications this week in the Durham VAMC. These real-time alerts evaluate a patients pharmacogenetic test results when a prescription for codeine or tramadol is initiated. In patients whose genetic profile indicates a higher risk for toxicity or lack of pain relief, these alerts will notify the ordering provider of the nature of the drug-gene interaction and propose alternatives prescriptions. Over the next year, similar alerts for roughly 30 additional medications will be implemented nationwide. The VA PHASeR program, directed by Deepak Voora, launched in 2019 and is a clinical program bringing preemptive pharmacogenetic testing to up to 250,000 Veterans across the VA. To learn more about this great program, check out these videos: https://tinyurl.com/phaser-playlist.

 

ICYMI: TCTMD Highlights Lowenstern; Katz to Return; Newby Named Medical Director, CICU

Duke Heart fellow Angela Lowenstern was highlighted as TCTMD’s featured fellow on October 18 on their website. Check out the posting below in our Duke Heart in the News section.

Be sure to view our October 28 Pulse post announcing the return of Jason Katz, MD, as well as a new appointment for Kristin Newby. Lots of good things happening across Duke Heart. Thanks for all the great work each of you are doing.

Importantly, thank you for all of the support and care you show to one another not only professionally, but on a personal level throughout the year. This has been greatly needed especially over the past few weeks.

 

NCYIF 2019: Northwestern Cardiovascular Young Investigator Forum

Eric Peterson, Lauren Truby, Zak Loring and Jordan Pomeroy (pictured here L->R) attended the 15th Annual Northwestern Cardiovascular Young Investigator’s Forum. Held in Chicago from Oct. 31-Nov. 2, the annual forum targets young investigators conducting basic or clinical research on arrhythmias, atherosclerosis, heart failure, hypertension, ischemic heart disease, thrombosis, and valve disease. Dr. Peterson was a faculty judge, Lauren and Zak presented in the Fellow Clinical Research category and Jordan presented in the Fellow Basic Science categories. Nice job and thanks for representing Duke Heart!

 

 

 

Rooney Named Clinical Lead, 7 East, Effective November 11^th

Duke Heart is pleased to announce that Amanda Rooney, BSN, RN, PCCN will become Clinical Lead for Duke University Hospital’s Cardiothoracic Stepdown-7 East Unit, effective Monday, November 11. Amanda joined the Duke Heart team in 2013 as a staff nurse on 3300. Amanda was part of our team opening DMP 7 East and has continued to aid in the building of our team as a Unit Preceptor, Charge Nurse, Diabetes Champion, Insulin Safety Committee member, and Unit Scheduling Committee Chair.

Amanda earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from East Carolina University in 2012, a Masters in Health Education and Promotion from East Carolina University in 2008, and Bachelors of Science in Athletic Training from East Carolina University in 2005.

Please join us in congratulating and welcoming Amanda to her new role.

 

Fall Meeting: Heart Leadership Council

Many thanks to our faculty and fellow presenters who attended the Fall meeting of the Duke Heart Center Leadership Council which took place on Friday, Nov. 1 at the J.B. Duke Hotel. Svati Shah presented an overview of her genetics work and discussed the genetics clinic and the important role it plays for families; Fellows Muath Bishawi, Kevin Friede, G. Titus K. Ngeno, and Zachary Wegermann presented their work pecha kucha style. All presentations were very well received by our Council members and generated great discussion. Thanks to Jillian Ream and the development team for planning the meeting and to the members of Duke Heart Leadership who provided updates to the Council. Note: Gary Davis, one of our Council members is running for public office in S.C. – you can read more about him below in the “News” section.

 

11^th Annual Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium Held

The 11^th Annual NC Research Triangle Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium was held on Friday, Nov. 1 at the Durham Convention Center. Lead by course directors Terry Fortin and Jimmy Ford (UNC), and supported by the Pulmonary Hypertension Association, this symposium had over 200 registered attendees from the region, as well as more than 100 patients and caregivers who attended a concurrent session designed specifically for them. Keynote speakers were Marc Humbert, MD, PhD, Professor of Respiratory Medicine at the South Paris University (Université Paris-Saclay) in Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, France who spoke on PH Associated with Myeloproliferative and Hematologic Disorders, and Anna Hemnes, MD, of Vanderbilt, who spoke on Precision Medicine in PAH. Additional presenters from Duke included: Aimee Babiera, Amanda Coniglio, Talal Dahhan, Kishan Parikh, Sudarshan Rajagopal and Rebecca Richard. To see the full symposium agenda, please visit: https://medicine.duke.edu/sites/medicine.duke.edu/files/field/attachments/ph-symposium_web_brochure%5B1%5D.pdf

 

Euan Ashley Visit

We had a wonderful visit from Euan Ashley, MD, of Stanford. He presented the Williams lecture this past week. Thanks to all who joined us for his presentation, “Towards Precision Medicine.”  The lecture was an amazing walk from the initial description of the Human Genome to the current day full genome sequencing and clinical uses and possible pathways coming.

 

 

 

DUHS Bi-Annual RN Hiring Event

The DUHS Bi-Annual RN Hiring Event was held at the Sheraton Imperial in Durham on October 25. There were more than 200 attendees. Health System nursing leadership team members had the opportunity to interact with both experienced and new candidates interested in employment opportunities at DUHS. Pictured here are members of our Duke Heart nursing leadership team at the event. Thanks for working to recruit more talent our way!!

 

 

 

 

 

Duke Heart Holiday Party: Save the Date

Be sure to check your email (especially the “clutter” folder!) for your emailed invitation to the annual Duke Heart holiday party, which will be held December 6th  2019. Invitations were extended to all cardiology and CT surgery faculty, fellows and residents, as well as hospital clinical team leads and higher. Questions? Contact Tracey Koepke, Director of Communications.

 

Recognition Month: Sonographers

We recognize our sonography team this weekend and apologize for missing Medical Ultrasound Awareness Month, which is held annually in October. The awareness month is a joint effort of the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine, American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography, American Society of Echocardiography, Cardiovascular Credentialing International, Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonography, and Society for Vascular Ultrasound.

There are 48 people on the sonography team in the Duke Heart Cardiac Diagnostic Unit. The CDU sees about 120 patients per day between echocardiograms, vascular ultrasound studies, stress studies, pharmacological studies, TEEs and Echo-guided biopsies. The team also supports guided imagery done in the catheterization lab for mitral clips and other device placements, balloon valvuloplasties, septal defect closures, and HCM ablations. All labs are accredited by the Inter-societal Accreditation Commission.

A high level of competency is required in order to succeed as a team member here at Duke because of the diverse pathology in the cardiovascular cases and our high patient volume. Because of this, each member needs to be able to work accurately and independently as well communicate effectively within the team and with physicians and other providers.

Our sonographers are amazing and we are so very fortunate to have such skilled team members providing this resource to us. Thank you for all that you do!

 

Upcoming Opportunities/Save the Date:

Coming up: AHA Scientific Sessions!

The annual Duke reception at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions will be held on Saturday, November 16, from 5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. at the Loews Philadelphia Hotel, located conveniently across the street from the conference center. An appointment request was sent by the DCRI planning team. Be sure to look for that and accept to RSVP.

 

Cardiology Grand Rounds

This week we have two great opportunities to hear the latest in cardiology research. First, we welcome Renato Lopes who is presenting “AF and PCI: Triple Trouble? Double Therapy? Where do we stand in 2019.” Please join us on Tuesday, Oct. 29, 5 p.m., DN, 2003.

On Friday (Nov. 8), we welcome Kim Eagle, Director of the Samuel and Jean Frankel Cardiovascular Center at the University of Michigan. He’s presenting the Eugene A. Stead Jr., MD, Lecture as part of Medicine Grand Rounds at 8 a.m. in the Trent Semans Great Hall. Title of his talk is, “Cardiac Risk of Non-Cardiac Surgery: A Piece of my Mind.”

Upcoming Grand Rounds:

• November 12: Javed Butler, University of Mississippi
• November 19: Faculty Staff Meeting
• November 26: No Grand Rounds. Happy Thanksgiving!
• December 3: Zach Wegermann
• December 10: (5 p.m.) Heart Center Grand Rounds on CTEPH
• December 17: (5 p.m.) Faculty Staff Meeting
• December 24: No Grand Rounds. Happy Holidays!
• December 31: No Grand Rounds. Happy Holidays!

Talent from All Corners Symposium, Nov. 4

Tomorrow! Panel discussion, Talent from all corners: how immigration helps shape American scientific leadership. A group of prominent and highly promising scientists, led by Duke cardiologist and Nobel Laureate Professor Robert Lefkowitz, will share their own stories as first, second, or third-generation immigrants, their research and its significance, and their perspective on immigration and its role in shaping American scientific leadership. 3-6 p.m., Searle Center. Registration required. Refreshments will be served. To learn more or to register, please visit: https://scienceandsociety.duke.edu/events/talent-from-all-corners-how-immigration-helps-shape-scientific-leadership/

Duke Heart Safe Choices, Nov. 6 – Cancelled

The Duke Heart Safe Choices workshop that was scheduled for this week has been cancelled. Please contact Christy Darnell with questions.

Have news to share?

If you have news to share with the Pulse readership, please contact Tracey Koepke, director of communications for Duke Heart at tracey.koepke@duke.edu. We would love to hear about your latest accomplishments, professional news, cool happenings, and any events or opportunities that may be of interest to our Duke Heart family. Please call with any questions: 919-681-2868. Feedback on Pulse is welcome and encouraged.

Duke Heart in the News:

October 18 – Angela Lowenstern

TCTMD/the heart beat

Featured Fellow: Angela Lowenstern, MD

https://www.tctmd.com/news/angela-lowenstern-md

October 29 — Gary Davis (Heart Leadership Council Member)

The Post and Courier (Charleston, SC)

Editorial: Endorsements in Tuesday’s Mount Pleasant Town Council elections

http://bit.ly/2PKLTAa

 

We are excited to announce that Jason Katz, MD, MHS has agreed to return to Duke and serve as Director of Cardiovascular Critical Care Services across Duke Health System, Co-Director of the Duke CICU, and Co-Director of Mechanical Circulatory Support.  Jason did his medical residency at UTSW where he was a Chief Resident before coming to Duke for both his cardiovascular fellowship and critical care fellowship.  In 2010, he joined UNC Faculty where he was dual appointed in Cardiovascular Medicine and Pulmonary Critical Care at UNC.  At UNC, he has served in many roles including the medical director of both the CICU and Cardio-Thoracic ICU. He has also cared for and led the team managing patients with mechanical circulatory support at UNC and participated in several multi-center trials in patients with ventricular assist devices.  He currently directs the UNC Mechanical Circulatory Support and Cardiogenic Shock Program. He is one of the three executive steering committee members of the recently launched Critical Care Cardiology Trials Network (CCCTN) –a multicenter, international group to design and implement pragmatic clinical research efforts focusing on optimal care processes for critically ill patients with cardiovascular disease.  This group has recently described the contemporary characteristics and patients in cardiology critical care units.  Jason is the current Chair of the Acute Cardiac Care and General Cardiology Committee of the Council on Clinical Cardiology (CLCD) for the American Heart Association.

Jason is passionate about education and has won several teaching awards from medical students, residents and fellows including being selected by UNC medical students to receive membership in the prestigious Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) medical honor society.

We look forward to having Jason join our team and help Duke Heart take care of our sickest patients across our clinical network.

CICU Redesign – Newby to become Medical Director Duke CICU:

Regarding the addition of Jason in the CICU, Chris Granger stated “we are delighted and energized to have Jasoncome back to Duke, to help guide us into the next era of cardiac intensive care.”  Chris will be stepping down as the Medical Director of the CICU, a leadership position that Kristin Newby will take on Starting November 1^st.  Kristin has served as the Co-Director of the CICU over the last several years and worked at both the local and national level on cardiovascular critical care. She will take on the role of Medical Director of Duke University CICU and will work with Jason and our Division Leadership as we advance and integrate Cardiac Intensive Care at Duke University Hospital and across the health system.

Chris Granger has been our Medical Director of the CICU and spearheaded several innovations including team based rounding, rapid coronary revascularization through a statewide systems based approach for patients with ST-segment elevation, and numerous studies on patients with acute coronary syndromes and heart failure.  We look forward to continuing to have Chris provide divisional leadership in how we develop and deliver systems for high quality cardiovascular care.  I want to also personally thank Chris for his leadership in our division and the CICU.

Please welcome Jason and Congratulate Kristin and Chris when you see them!

 

Friends of Nursing Winners Recognized at Gala

We congratulate our Duke Heart Friends of Nursing Award recipients. Eight of our team members were recognized at the 31st Annual Gala Celebration of Excellence which was held at the Durham Convention Center on Saturday night. There were 38 award winners selected out of 203 nominees across Duke University Health System.

In 1988, Martha White Blalock, a Duke patient, and her husband, Dan S. Blalock Jr., envisioned a program to support the exceptional nurses who were caring for them. After his wife’s death, Mr. Blalock donated funds to begin Friends of Nursing as a way of thanking Duke Nurses for the excellent care they provide.

Since its inception, Friends of Nursing has sponsored professional development opportunities, funded scholarships for continuing education, financially supported learning and research dissemination, and recognized outstanding nursing practice.

The 2019 award recipients from Duke Heart include:

Shannon Brennan, CT Surgical Stepdown Unit 3300, who received the Nan & Hugh Cullman Heart Center Award for Excellence in Nursing Practice.

Kiersten Butler, Cardiac Intensive Care Unit 7700, who received the Heart Center Award for Excellence in Cardiovascular Nursing in recognition of Mary Ann Peter.

Lauren Gispanski Coggins, Cardiac Intensive Care Unit 7700, who received the Ernestine Davis & Edward L. Cole Award for Excellence in Coronary Care Unit Nursing.

Mary Lindsay, Associate Chief Nursing Officer, who received the Award for Excellence in Nursing Leadership.

Ashley Newsome, Duke Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation at Croasdaile, who received the Nan & Hugh Cullman Heart Center Award for Excellence in Nursing Practice.

Rex N. Ruiz, Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit, DMP 7 West, who received the Award for Excellence in Critical Care Nursing.

Catherine Shuford, Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit, DMP 7 West, who received the Mary Ann & Robert H. Peter Award for Excellence in Nursing Practice.

Rachel Zwiacher, Cardiac Telemetry Unit 5-2 at Duke Regional Hospital, who received the Duke Regional Hospital Medical Staff Award for Excellence in Nursing Practice.

Great job, to all – we are proud of your efforts and work for our patients.

Respiratory Therapy Week Wraps Up

As National Respiratory Care Week wraps up, we’d again like to thank our respiratory therapists (RT) for the work they do! The Duke RT team includes 138 talented individuals who perform more than 220,000 aerosol therapies per year and manage more than 80 ventilators per day at Duke. The team has worked to decrease ventilator days from over nine days per patient to just over 4.5 ventilator days per patient over the past year.

Our RTs lead research, publish original work, serve on the ECMO team and as leaders on the Board of the North Carolina Society for Respiratory Care. They also present and conduct outreach through the American Association for Respiratory Care, Society of Critical Care Medicine, and the College of Chest Physicians. Our RTs manage day to day care, spearhead chronic disease management, and are crucial to critical care management of patients with respiratory issues. They are here to manage all aspects of respiratory care in both adult and pediatric/neonatal care at Duke University Hospital, Duke Regional Hospital and Duke Raleigh Hospital.

Thanks for all that you do!

RFPs for Mandel Funding

The Duke Cardiovascular Research Center is pleased to announce the annual fall Mandel Funding program RFP’s for the SEED, SCHOLAR, and FELLOW awards.  Funding for these awards is provided by the Edna and Fred L. Mandel Jr. Foundation, through the Mandel Center for Hypertension and Atherosclerosis at Duke.

Guidelines for the SEED and SCHOLAR program are similar to past years; the FELLOW guidelines have been revised. If you would like a copy of the guidelines, please contact Cheryl Woodard.

Proposals are due November 4^th and should be sent as a PDF to Maria Rapoza (maria.rapoza@duke.edu) with a copy to cheryl.woodard@duke.edu. All applicants should receive an email confirming receipt within 48 hours of submission. If you do not receive a confirmation email please let them know.

 Doximity Deadline, Oct. 31

The registration deadline is this week! Doximity registration is the only way to ensure you will absolutely have the opportunity to vote online in the U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals survey.

Please take a moment to claim your profile in Doximity. If you do not know if you are registered or not, please contact Tracey Koepke, Director of Communication for Duke Heart. She has the full list of faculty who are (and who aren’t!) registered. If you have questions about how to utilize Doximity, she can help with that, too.

Please make sure you’re eligible to vote in early 2020. The deadline is October 31, 2019.

1. Visit com and enter your first and last name.
2. Select your profile
3. Follow the prompts to sign in, reset your password or create a new account.

 

Thank you!

Upcoming Opportunities/Save the Date:

Cardiology Grand Rounds

This week we welcome Euan Ashley from Stanford for his presentation, “Towards Precision Medicine.” Please join us on Tuesday, Oct. 29, 5 p.m., DN, 2003.   This is the 5^th annual Albert L. Williams Cardiovascular Genetics leacture and we are excited to have Euan Join us.  He will give DCRI Research Conference from 12-1 pm on Tuesday Oct 29^th entitled “You Heart Counts.”

Upcoming Grand Rounds:

• November 5: Renato Lopes will present “AF and PCI: Triple Trouble? Double Therapy? Where do we stand in 2019?”
• November 8 (Friday): Kim Eagle, Michigan, will be presenting the Eugene Stead Lecture
• November 12: Javed Butler, University of Mississippi

 

Talent from All Corners Symposium, Nov. 4

Science and discovery thrive in environments that welcome and foster the free exchange of talent and ideas. The U.S. has for decades been a worldwide leader in science. Its universities and research centers, public and private, have been on the cutting edge of many discoveries that have improved lives and transformed societies.

In this panel discussion on Talent from all corners: how immigration helps shape American scientific leadership, a group of prominent and highly promising scientists, led by Duke cardiologist and Nobel Laureate Professor Robert Lefkowitz, will share their own stories as first, second, or third-generation immigrants, their research and its significance, and their perspective on immigration and its role in shaping American scientific leadership. 3-6 p.m., Searle Center. Registration is required. Refreshments will be served. To learn more or to register, please visit: https://scienceandsociety.duke.edu/events/talent-from-all-corners-how-immigration-helps-shape-scientific-leadership/

 

Duke Heart Safe Choices, Nov. 6

Our next Duke Heart Safe Choices workshop will take place on Wednesday, Nov. 6 from 4 – 6:30 p.m. in the Great Hall of the Trent Semans Center.

The workshop includes presentations from Duke Health patient safety officers and Duke Heart leadership, as well as break-out discussions to discuss past safety events. In the small groups, you’ll review an actual case in order to identify and analyze risks taken and potential solutions to enhance patient safety.

These workshops are some of the most important events we offer to our care teams in Duke Heart. They offer a time to gather and intentionally reflect on the role each of us plays in the safety of our patients and each other.  We need participation from all teams and each type of provider. Join us!

Dinner will be provided. Please register here:  https://duke.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cHhouKiZ19cm0Bv

 

Have news to share?

If you have news to share with the Pulse readership, please contact Tracey Koepke, director of communications for Duke Heart at tracey.koepke@duke.edu. We would love to hear about your latest accomplishments, professional news, cool happenings, and any events or opportunities that may be of interest to our Duke Heart family. Please call with any questions: 919-681-2868. Feedback on Pulse is welcome and encouraged.

Duke Heart in the News:

October 21 — Redford Williams (psychiatry)

MedPage Today

Depression Intervention Flops for Heart Attack Survivors

https://www.medpagetoday.com/cardiology/prevention/82853

October 21 — Anthony Viera (Family Medicine & Community Health)

Consumer Reports/The Washington Post

You’re told you have a ‘pre-disease.’ Here’s what that means.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/youre-told-you-have-a-pre-disease-heres-what-that-means/2019/10/18/a48722d0-ef92-11e9-8693-f487e46784aa_story.html

 

October 22 — Renato Lopes

NBC News

Bedtime may be the best time to take blood pressure meds, study finds

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/heart-health/bedtime-may-be-best-time-take-blood-pressure-meds-study-n1069961

October 22 — Michael Nanna

tctMD/the heart beat

Elderly Women Worse Off Than Men Before and After Acute MI

https://www.tctmd.com/news/elderly-women-worse-men-and-after-acute-mi

October 25 — Manesh Patel

Time magazine

12 Innovations That Will Change Health Care and Medicine in the 2020s

https://time.com/5710295/top-health-innovations