Happy Holidays – Highlights Duke Heart 12-22-2019
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 14th 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
http://bit.ly/35YBtly
December 19 — Svati Shah
NBC
https://duke.app.box.com/s/mwknzf2tgb44bi5tnb78je4xzp5g5w3r
Duke Heart Highlights Week of December 15th 2019
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
Duke Heart Highlights of the Week – December 8th 2019
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
Thanksgiving Week 2019
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. 2nd and Wednesday, Dec. 3rd 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: 15th 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
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