Home » 2021 (Page 2)

Yearly Archives: 2021

Duke Heart week ending October 10th 2021

October 10, 2021 / Leave a comment

2021 Triangle Heart Walk Held Today

On behalf of the Duke Heart leadership team, we thank all of our colleagues who joined us in today’s Triangle Heart Walk. Together, our teams raised a significant amount of funding for the American Heart Association. With the many challenges each of us face not only at work, but in our personal lives, we remain grateful to all of you for the excellent work you’re doing each day throughout Duke Heart. We hope you took time today to walk at one of the Heart Walk pop-up locations here in the Triangle or at a location of your choosing.

A special thanks to the following team members who served as team captains representing Duke Heart this year: Edna Taylor, Jason Stokes, Madi Baublis, Manesh Patel, Allen Stephens and Jill Engel.

A very special thank you to Richard Shannon for serving as the DUHS Heart Walk Chair this year. Attached are some great shots of the Walk he and Brandy Patterson hosted at their home today that was specifically for kids. What a great way to model heart healthy behavior!

It’s National PA Week, Oct. 6-12

Please join us in celebrating National Physician Assistants Week from October 6-12, in recognition of the PA profession and the many contributions they make to Duke Health and the nation’s health. In the midst of this challenging year, we are deeply grateful for the efforts and contributions of these vital members of the Duke Heart team.

The PA profession is dynamic and they have served as pioneers and leaders in health care delivery across all ages, populations, and settings. This year saw another first for the profession. Hayley Arceneaux, a PA at St. Jude Children’s Hospital, served as the Chief Medical Officer for the first all-civilian space trip aboard SpaceX – appropriately called Inspiration4.

As highly skilled multidisciplinary care team members and healthcare leaders, PAs provide exceptional patient care in virtually all medical specialties and settings. PAs are pivotal in the nation’s health care delivery and serve in critical roles throughout patient care, medical education, health administration, leadership, and research.

A very special thank you to all PAs throughout Duke Heart for the great work you’re doing!

Heart Failure Symposium Success

The Duke Heart Failure Symposium: The Leading Edge of Heart Failure Management went exceedingly well on Friday. Great job by course directors Richa Agarwal and Rob Mentz!

Some highlights:

More than 480 participants registered for the symposium.
Attendees logged in from 34 different states and 27 different countries around the world.
Participants included physicians, nurses, NPs, PAs, pharmacists, fellows, residents, students, research scientists, allied health professionals, industry representatives and patients!

Outstanding job and lots of great feedback and comments on Twitter!

Shout-out to Osude!

Congratulations to first year cardiology fellow Kiki Osude for running and completing the Bank of America Chicago Marathon today! Way to go Kiki!

Kudos, Duke Heart!

We received a wonderful note this week regarding care for a patient:

“On Monday evening (September 27), I called 911 for my mother. She was in a lot of pain and uncomfortable. EMS asked what hospital would they like me to take her to. As she was scheduled to meet for the first time with the Duke Heart TAVR team on October 11, I asked them to take her to Duke Hospital. It was a good call to make because she deteriorated on the short ride over.

The ED team were incredibly responsive, informative and kind. She was quickly moved to our CICU in 7E where she stayed until Tuesday around 5 pm. She then headed to 7700 where she stayed until her TAVR procedure this morning. I write this from 7W where she is recovering under the care of Shemia, who has been so helpful in addressing our questions and helping Mom manage any pain and discomfort.

I wanted to take a moment to let you know how wonderful her care has been, which I’m sure is no surprise to you. The entire Heart Care Team – from nursing to cardiologists, the ICU team, the surgeons to HUC and Food Services – have been so kind, so responsive, so helpful throughout her stay.

Many thanks to Drs. Ryan Plichta, Andrew Wang, Chris Granger and the attending physicians on 7E and 7700. They all visited Mom frequently and took time to explain the procedure and answer any questions she had. She went into the procedure with great confidence in them. The nursing team in ALL the areas have been AMAZING! I wish I would have done a better job getting their names. Their expertise, attentiveness and care have been phenomenal, especially RNs Becca and Ashleigh and NAs Leah, Amanda and Sherana on 7700. Alexandra from Food Service was super helpful and delightful as well.

We have another day or two here so I’m sure there will be people to add to the list, but my siblings, her 14 grandchildren, 7 great grandchildren and I are incredibly grateful.” – Name withheld for confidentiality

Nicely done, team!

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

Cardiology Grand Rounds

October 5: Critical Care Cardiology in the 21^st Century with Anthony Carnicelli. 5 p.m. Webex.

October 12: Lessons from ADAPTABLE and PREVENTABLE: Is Pragmatism the Answer? with Schuyler Jones. 5 p.m. Webex.

October 19: CGR title pending, with Jeff Gaca. 5 p.m. Webex.

October 26: Sleep Disordered Breathing and Cardiovascular Disease with Jonathan Piccini, Marat Fudim and Andrew Spector. 5 p.m. Webex.

Upcoming Duke Heart CME

November 5: 13^th Annual NC Research Triangle Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium. Course directors are H. James Ford (UNC) and Terry Fortin. 8:30 a.m. to 4:20 p.m. Morning case-based workshops have been cancelled due to Covid. Afternoon portion will be held via Zoom. For more information and to register, please visit: https://bit.ly/3DrZwuv.

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 5 — Robert Mentz

Cardiovascular Business

Heart failure patients benefit from rehabilitation intervention

https://duke.is/jku9g

October 6 — Manesh Patel

AARP

Myocarditis and COVID Vaccines: What You Need to Know Now

https://duke.is/yqg5d

October 6 — Manesh Patel

AARP

Las vacunas contra la COVID y la miocarditis: Esto es lo que debes saber

https://duke.is/z5rnx

October 6 — Tom Povsic

CBS17.com

Nurse suffering from heart disease gets second chance at life thanks to gene therapy trial at Duke Health

https://duke.is/vgsmz

October 7 — Crystal Johnson (Duke Regional ICU)

WRAL.com

ICU nurse turns her COVID-19 experience into effort to promote heart health awareness

https://duke.is/b2gaj

Duke Heart Pulse week ending October 3rd 2021

October 3, 2021 / Leave a comment

Chief’s message:

Hopefully everyone is finding some time to be with family and friends in over the weekend. The Cath lab had some delayed summer games out at a park this weekend. Some fun photos attached as Dr. Sketch was the judge for the team competition.

Highlights of the week:

CICU Expansion

On Friday, October 1, 2021, the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit located on 7E in Duke Medical Pavilion expanded from 20 beds to 24 beds. Thanks to all who helped us with our expansion! We want to especially thank the Nursing leadership and nurses who are everyday at the bedside caring for our patients, our CICU pharmacist Jeff Washam who has helped ensure we deliver safe and evidence based care, and our faculty and fellows who have worked to ensure that we have been able to support our patients and teams. Additionally, we are excited to have our APPs lead by Corey Fry fully staffed and helping with the care of our patients and expansion. Shown here are (L-R): Manasi Tannu, Jocelyn Goodall, Abbie Prodruck, Sipa Yankey and Chris Granger on our opening day.

Great job, everyone!

Pulmonary Hypertension CME Update

Hosted by Duke and UNC in collaboration with the Pulmonary Hypertension Association, the 13th Annual NC Research Triangle Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium will be held on Friday, November 5, 2021. The previously scheduled morning case-based workshop is cancelled due to the resurgence of COVID-19, however the afternoon symposium/webinar will still take place from 12:00-4:20 p.m. Eastern on Zoom. Registration is complimentary but required. Register here. Please contact Christy Darnell with questions.

Triangle Heart Walk – One Week from Today

We have one week left before the Triangle Heart Walk! The walk is scheduled for Sunday, October 10 and there is still time for you to help us make this a great year, despite the ongoing pandemic. You can sign up as either a captain or a walkers, or simply donate to a member of an existing team. Registration and donations are quick and easy – you can start your own team or join an existing one: simply visit triangleheartwalk.org/dukehealth2021. Looking for a team to join? Manesh Patel and Jill Engel are both team captains and would be happy to have you join them! If you have any questions or need help, feel free to email Kimberly Burrows, senior director of development for the Triangle AHA, at kimberly.burrows@heart.org.

The American Heart Association will have “pop-up” starting lines for walkers at various locations throughout the Triangle:

NC State Campus – LexisNexis, 1801 Varsity Dr. in Raleigh, NC 27606
Healthy Mile – Holton Trail, 401 N. Driver St. in Durham, NC 27703
Healthy Mile – Northgate Park Trail, 302 W. Club Blvd. in Durham, NC 27704
Shelley Lake Loop, 1400 W. Millbrook Rd. in Raleigh, NC 27612
Worthdale Park, 1001 Cooper Rd. in Raleigh, NC 27610

Or, you can choose to walk on your own, wherever is most convenient to you. Too busy to walk? You can support any Duke Heart team by making a general donation to a walker to support their fundraising efforts.

Thanks for considering. We appreciate every dollar!

Chmielewski Retires

Carl Chmielewski, administrative assistant in the division of cardiology, retired from Duke Heart this past week after 29 years of service to the Division of Cardiology. We collected thoughts from a range of team members this past week and a small team was able to treat him to lunch recently.

“Carl – a short note of acknowledgement and deep appreciation for being the “glue” for our faculty, staff, and Division. Your tireless attention to details to make the “magic happen” is one of the untold secrets underlying the success of Duke Cardiology. The endless hours you spent “herding the cats” – what a journey! Remember PDA’s? (For those of you who don’t know the acronym, PDA stands for personal digital assistant – yes, there was a time we used Palm Pilots and Windows Mobile devices). Remember the tape cartridge Dictaphones you deployed for our clinical documentation – and the work to convert to digital Dictaphones? Then remember converting from digital Dictaphones to direct voice to text in Epic? Thank you for making sure that we had just the right information at just the right time to make our lives work, not too much and not too little – plus the patience and persistence to make the exceptions work. And each of us was an exception! And you are truly the QGenda master – but before QGenda, there was AMION. And before AMION – there was Carl! Through it all, your even-keeled demeanor and consistent willingness to tackle the toughest of assignments stand out as best characteristics for us to emulate. Thank you for everything you mastered, the details you attended to, and your leadership, guidance and counsel you provided all of us – you will be deeply missed! Best wishes on the well-deserved next chapter of your journey of life.” – Jimmy Tcheng, MD

“Carl was one of the people in the Division that I first met, when I came to Duke 6 years ago. It was immediately clear that he was the go-to guy, who could demystify so many of the complex and confusing systems here at Duke. He was always very responsive as well as direct—if Carl said it, you could take it to the bank!” – Maria Price Rapoza, PhD

“Duke Cardiology is such a better place thanks to Carl. He has worked in the Division for past 29 years and has been truly committed to making it a better place. He has quietly done so much behind the scenes to help so many people. He will be so missed but truly deserves to be able to enjoy his pontoon boat!” – Mike Sketch, MD

“My work relationship with Carl begin over thirty plus years ago. During that time, Carl proved to be an amazing and dedicated employee to the Division of Cardiology and a valuable asset to the staff assistants. Any task or question the staff assistants needed help with, Carl had a solution. If there was a process we did not understand, Carl took the time to meet with you and walk you through every step. When I was given the administrative responsibilities in the Cardiovascular Research Center, Carl was instrumental in providing me with all of the resources needed to ensure a successful transition. Carl will be truly missed as he was our “go to” person in the Division of Cardiology.” — Cheryl Woodard

“Carl is one of those unsung heroes that is the “glue” that holds any diverse organization together. He is pretty much the proverbial “jack of all trades.” His job description includes fixing hardware (such as a monitor or a printer) and software (Qgenda has been his baby). His resourcefulness is evident from his office space where, much like a family hardware store, he can reach into one of his desk drawers and come up with a solution to most any problem. He is a master at using paper clips or twistee wire or duct tape to piece together whatever is needed to keep something up and running. And he always does so with enthusiasm, a smile and occasionally a corny joke. Hopefully he will get in more fishing and boating now. He will certainly be sorely missed.” – Tom Bashore, MD

We wish Carl all the best in his retirement!

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

Cardiology Grand Rounds

October 5: Critical Care Cardiology in the 21^st Century with Anthony Carnicelli. 5 p.m. Webex.

October 12: Lessons from ADAPTABLE and PREVENTABLE: Is Pragmatism the Answer? with Schuyler Jones. 5 p.m. Webex.

October 26: Sleep Disordered Breathing and Cardiovascular Disease with Jonathan Piccini, Marat Fudim and Andrew Spector. 5 p.m. Webex.

Upcoming Duke Heart CME

October 8: Duke Heart Failure Symposium: The Leading Edge of Heart Failure Management. Course directors are Richa Agarwal and Robert Mentz. 12 – 4:30 p.m. Zoom Webinar. To learn more and to register, please visit: http://duke.is/Q1sBtf

Have news to share?

Duke Heart in the News:

September 27 — James Blumenthal (psychiatry)

Healio/Cardiology

Structured lifestyle program for resistant hypertension improves BP, multiple biomarkers

https://duke.is/bc5x2

September 27 — James Blumenthal

MD Edge

Lifestyle interventions improve resistant hypertension

https://duke.is/che8m

September 27 — James Blumenthal

CNN Health*

DASH diet and exercise helps uncontrolled high blood pressure, study finds

https://duke.is/jppmf

*carried by 62 additional news outlets

September 27 — James Blumenthal

U.S. News & World Report*

Better Diet, More Exercise Equals Better Blood Pressure

https://duke.is/ygf64

*carried by 59 additional news outlets

September 29 — Duke University Hospital

WNCN CBS-17*

NC man home with family 3 months after receiving new-generation artificial heart at Duke Hospital

https://duke.is/r32z6

*also carried by FOX-8 Greensboro, CBS-3 Charlotte, & ABC-24 Wilmington

September 29 — Geoffrey Ginsburg

STAT News

A new study points to the power of wearables to predict even presymptomatic infections, suggesting use one day against Covid-19

https://duke.is/wxhhp

Duke Heart Pulse week ending September 26th 2021

September 26, 2021 / Leave a comment

Highlights of the week:

Chmielewski Retiring Sept. 30 after 29 Years of Service

Carl Chmielewski, administrative assistant in the division of cardiology, will retire from Duke Heart this week on Sept. 30. He has worked with the division for 29 years.

We had the opportunity to speak with Carl about his Duke experience over the years. “It has been an amazing ride that is for sure,” he said.

Chmielewski, who started at Duke as a temporary file clerk was assigned to Duke’s division of cardiology to help with the purging of old files “back when all we used were paper records,” he says. He was soon brought into an administrative role that would basically evolve over the years into something akin to ‘chief troubleshooter’.

One of the things Chmielewski says he has enjoyed the most about working for the division is that things never got stale. “It has always been something new every day, or what might work today will not work tomorrow, so the days have always been challenging.”

Most who know Carl recognize him for his superb troubleshooting skills; most of us have either uttered or heard the refrain, “Go ask Carl,” when some administrative complexity could not be figured out. Over the course of 29 years, he has certainly worked on a very large number of projects, but the ones that stand out the most for him are those that have arguably made the greatest difference to others by making their lives a bit easier.

“My motto has always been, ‘work smarter, not harder’ so when people would come to me with issues or ideas – especially the staff, I started documenting them so that we could share these great tips,” Chmielewski says.

All cardiology administrative staff is likely familiar with the Help Documents folder, now in Box. Carl created that as a centralized means of sharing knowledge throughout the group. “Every time a staff member came up with an idea that was a shortcut or something, I put it on there for everybody to look at. It might not apply to everybody, but it will apply to a lot of them.”

Another long-term project he enjoyed working on is related to Duke Cardiology’s historical records. Inevitable in any academic medical center is the accumulation of important records, papers, photographs, instruments, illustrations and other artifacts. Chmielewski has helped various faculty members over the years, including Tom Bashore, by ensuring the Duke Medical Center archives team had access to older materials that could be of historical value.

Chmielewski was also instrumental in working with cardiology leadership to develop the PODS system and an improved wording grid for paging operators to use for reaching cardiologists.

At one time, Carl was actively involved with Cardiology Grand Rounds and helping to plan the travel and itinerary for guest speakers. Through his involvement there, he found he enjoyed listening to the CGR recordings and learning more about what the faculty and fellows were working on.

The project he is most proud to have worked on, however, is the implementation of QGenda, which allowed him to work with faculty members like Jimmy Tcheng in order to take faculty scheduling fully electronic, with greater accessibility to key contact information. It was a project that many would agree was transformative.

Chmielewski refers to retirement as his 4^th and final career change. Prior to Duke, Carl’s family had been based in Michigan. His first career was in mobile home repair, but when he and his wife began to have children, the extremely long work days he had been putting in were no longer satisfying. He moved to the lumber industry, working for a local lumber company. During this time he honed enough skills to build his own home, which he says took him six months to do, but it was something he had always dreamed of doing.

Michigan happens to be a hot spot for the ballooning industry, which was his next career move. While at the lumber company, he met a customer who was launching his own balloon manufacturing company. The two hit it off and Carl was brought on board first to help build the plant, and then to build hot air balloons. He stayed on for 10 years – helping to manufacture special shaped balloons for Disney World and other major companies, but also for the private sector, including individuals such as Malcolm Forbes (they built him one in the shape of a Harley-Davidson).

Chmielewski’s wife Kathleen expects to retire from Duke early next year. The two are passionate about boating and, with the pandemic continuing, expect to hang out quite a bit on their 27-foot pontoon boat, grill out with family members and continue to entertain their grandchildren. The two have also become avid e-bicyclists and have found the trail system in the Triangle to be ideal for local rides. They plan to stay fully active and enjoy living.

When asked if there will be anything he misses, Carl says he will miss his colleagues the most — as well as the challenges of helping to support a very fast-paced cardiology team. He encourages all of us to keep in mind what a great team we are a part of and, to ‘work smarter, not harder’.

For the past few years, Carl has reported to Chris Morgenstern, administrative manager for the division. “It has been an honor and privilege to work alongside Carl for these past few years,” Morgenstern says. “It was clear to me when I first started that Carl was an invaluable resource to the division of Cardiology. Without Carl’s assistance through my time here at Duke, I know for certain that I wouldn’t have been as successful as I have been. I can’t thank him enough for all his hard work, and I know that I, and the Division, will miss him dearly.”

Thank you, Carl, for all the great work you have done in supporting the faculty and staff over the years. We wish you all the best in retirement!

New CMS ICD-10 code I5A Going Live October 1

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) recently released the diagnosis code files for 2022. The new codes go into effect on Friday, Oct. 1.

Included is a new cardiology diagnosis code, I5A, specific to non-ischemic myocardial injury (non-traumatic). This is an important development and something each provider and all coders need to be aware of. The updated code allows providers the opportunity to more correctly label patients who have an elevation of high sensitivity troponin who are not having a myocardial infarction. Stay tuned for more information — Drs. Jimmy Tcheng, Kristin Newby, Manesh Patel, Jennifer Rymer and Andrew Wang are working on a package of information to distribute to all care teams.

CICU Expansion Set for October 1

On Friday, October 1, 2021, the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit located on 7E in Duke Medical Pavilion will expand from 20 beds to our full operational capacity of 24 beds under the medical directorship of Drs. Jason Katz and Kristin Newby, and nurse manager Greg Flynn, BSN. The additional beds will allow us to better support the Duke Heart mission of providing high-quality, excellent cardiac care to our patients and their families. The team has worked diligently to onboard new staff members for the expansion, including nurses, advanced practice providers, and an additional rounding pharmacist. The medical coverage model has added advanced practice providers to the current structure of residents, fellows, and attendings.

VAD Joint Commission Survey Completed

Thank you to all faculty and staff for their support and participation during the recent VAD Joint Commission Survey at Duke University Hospital. Your preparedness and enthusiasm was greatly appreciated! Shown here are team members Da-Vida Clark, Jill Engel, Heather Pena, Laura Blue, Stephanie Barnes, Mary Lindsay and Laura Dickerson after the completion of the survey.

Heart Faculty Life Support Training Event Held

On Wednesday, Sept. 22, the biannual Life Support training event was held for 23 Heart faculty members. Special thanks to our instructors Kristen Newby, Jill Engel, Mary Lindsay, and Laura Dickerson. Administrative assistant support was provided by Sara Yarboro and Caleb Smith, shown here.

Kudos to Cardiology Fellows

This week, multiple unexpected challenges arose in the cardiology fellowship. Anna Lisa Crowley, program director, would like to recognize and thank the following fellows who went above and beyond by volunteering to cover their co-fellows in need on short notice during this time:

Ali Corley
Josephine Harrington
Shahzeb Khan
Mark Kittipibul
Manasi Tannu

Great team work, everyone!!!!

Granger & Gersh Discuss ESC

Chris Granger along with Bernard Gersh of the Mayo Clinic were our special guests for Cardiology Grand Rounds on Tuesday, Sept. 21. They led a lively discussion recapping the European Society of Cardiology’s 2021 Congress.

Many thanks to all who joined us!

Duke Heart Seeks Team Captains, Walkers for Heart Walk

The Triangle Heart Walk is scheduled for Sunday, October 10 and we’d love see more members of the Duke Heart faculty and staff sign on as team captains or walkers. It is not too late! Registration is quick and easy – you can start your own team or join an existing one: simply visit triangleheartwalk.org/dukehealth2021. Looking for a team to join? Manesh Patel and Jill Engel are both team captains and would be happy to have you join them! If you have any questions or need help, feel free to email Kimberly Burrows, senior director of development for the Triangle AHA, at kimberly.burrows@heart.org.

Due to pandemic circumstances, the event will not take place at PNC arena. Instead, the American Heart Association will have “pop-up” starting lines at various locations throughout the Triangle:

NC State Campus – LexisNexis, 1801 Varsity Dr. in Raleigh, NC 27606
Healthy Mile – Holton Trail, 401 N. Driver St. in Durham, NC 27703
Healthy Mile – Northgate Park Trail, 302 W. Club Blvd. in Durham, NC 27704
Shelley Lake Loop, 1400 W. Millbrook Rd. in Raleigh, NC 27612
Worthdale Park, 1001 Cooper Rd. in Raleigh, NC 27610

Thanks for considering. We appreciate every dollar!

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

Cardiology Grand Rounds

September 28: Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Guidelines and Treatment Update with Andrew Wang. 7:15 a.m., Webex.

October 5: Critical Care Cardiology in the 21^st Century with Anthony Carnicelli. 5 p.m. Webex.

October 12: Lessons from ADAPTABLE and PREVENTABLE: Is Pragmatism the Answer? with Schuyler Jones. 5 p.m. Webex.

Upcoming Duke Heart CME

November 5: 13^th Annual NC Research Triangle Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium. Course directors are H. James Ford (UNC) and Terry Fortin. 8:30 a.m. to 4:20 p.m. Morning case-based workshops will be live, in person at Durham Convention Center (subject to change pending pandemic conditions). Masks and COVID vaccination required. Afternoon portion will be held via Zoom. For more information and to register, please visit: https://bit.ly/3DrZwuv.

Have news to share?

Duke Heart in the News:

September 17 — Manesh Patel

tctMD

AHA Announces Fully Virtual Meeting in Light of Surging COVID-19 Numbers

http://duke.is/iXT98J

September 17 — Harry Severance

The Columbian

In Our View: Appreciate workers by slowing virus’s spread

http://duke.is/hK6X7x

September 20 — Harry Severance

Healthgrades

7 Reasons Doctors Are Leaving Medicine

http://duke.is/iRJ11X

September 21 — Marat Fudim and Manesh Patel

HCPLive

New Heart Failure Data from ESC 2021 with Marat Fudim, MD

http://duke.is/Fm1rh4

September 22 — Duke University Hospital

Becker’s Hospital Review

5 recent ‘firsts’ in cardiology

http://duke.is/wrJ53t

September 23 — Geeta Swamy and Adrian Hernandez

WRAL NBC-5

U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s decision to endorse giving booster doses

http://duke.is/twztyN

Division of Cardiology Publications Indexed in PubMed Sept 16-23, 2021

Abou Assi H, Rangadurai AK, Shi H, Liu B, Clay MC, Erharter K, Kreutz C, Holley CL, Al-Hashimi HM. 2′-O-Methylation can increase the abundance and lifetime of alternative RNA conformational states. Nucleic Acids Res 2020;48(21):12365-12379. PM: 33104789.

Alba GA, Samokhin AO, Wang RS, Zhang YY, Wertheim BM, Arons E, Greenfield EA, Lundberg Slingsby MH, Ceglowski JR, Haley KJ, Bowman FP, Yu YR, Haney JC, Eng G, Mitchell RN, Sheets A, Vargas SO, Seo S, Channick RN, Leary PJ, Rajagopal S, Loscalzo J, et al. NEDD9 Is a Novel and Modifiable Mediator of Platelet-Endothelial Adhesion in the Pulmonary Circulation. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2021;203(12):1533-1545. PM: 33523764.

Beijnink CWH, van der Hoeven NW, Konijnenberg LSF, Kim RJ, Bekkers SCAM, Kloner RA, Everaars H, El Messaoudi S, van Rossum AC, van Royen N, Nijveldt R. Cardiac MRI to Visualize Myocardial Damage after ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction: A Review of Its Histologic Validation. Radiology 2021;301(1):4-18. PM: 34427461.

Goli S, Sakita FM, Kweka GL, Tarimo TG, Temu G, Thielman NM, Bettger JP, Bloomfield GS, Limkakeng AT, Hertz JT. Thirty-day outcomes and predictors of mortality following acute myocardial infarction in northern Tanzania: A prospective observational cohort study. Int J Cardiol 2021;342:23-28. PM: 34364908.

Herrera AF, Ahn KW, Litovich C, Chen Y, Assal A, Bashir Q, Bayer RL, Coleman M, DeFilipp Z, Farhadfar N, Greenwood M, Hahn T, Horwitz M, Jacobson C, Jaglowski S, Lachance S, Langston A, Mattar B, Maziarz RT, McGuirk J, Mian MAH, Nathan S, Phillips A, et al. Autologous and allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma-type Richter syndrome. Blood Adv 2021;5(18):3528-3539. PM: 34496026.

Kereiakes DJ, Feldman RL, Ijsselmuiden AJJ, Saito S, Amoroso G, Zidar JP, Wong SC, Stella P, Yakubov S, Lasala J, Cohen DJ, Doros G, Cutlip DE, Rao SV. Safety and Effectiveness of the SVELTE Fixed-Wire and Rapid Exchange Bioresorbable-Polymer Sirolimus-Eluting Coronary Stent Systems for the Treatment of Atherosclerotic Lesions: Results of the OPTIMIZE Randomized Study. Circ Cardiovasc Interv 2021;14(9):e010609. PM: 34353122.

Krishnamoorthy V, Temkin N, Barber J, Foreman B, Komisarow J, Korley FK, Laskowitz DT, Mathew JP, Hernandez A, Sampson J, James ML, Bartz R, Raghunathan K, Goldstein BA, Markowitz AJ, Vavilala MS, et al. Association of Early Multiple Organ Dysfunction With Clinical and Functional Outcomes Over the Year Following Traumatic Brain Injury: A Transforming Research and Clinical Knowledge in Traumatic Brain Injury Study. Crit Care Med 2021;49(10):1769-1778. PM: 33935162.

Mahle RE, Suchindran S, Henao R, Steinbrink JM, Burke TW, McClain MT, Ginsburg GS, Woods CW, Tsalik EL. Validation of a Host Gene Expression Test for Bacterial/Viral Discrimination in Immunocompromised Hosts. Clin Infect Dis 2021;73(4):605-613. PM: 33462581.

Makkar RR, Yoon SH, Chakravarty T, Kapadia SR, Krishnaswamy A, Shah PB, Kaneko T, Skipper ER, Rinaldi M, Babaliaros V, Vemulapalli S, Trento A, Cheng W, Kodali S, Mack MJ, Leon MB, Thourani VH. Association Between Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement for Bicuspid vs Tricuspid Aortic Stenosis and Mortality or Stroke Among Patients at Low Surgical Risk. JAMA 2021;326(11):1034-1044. PM: 34546301.

Picard F, Bhatt DL, Ducrocq G, Ohman EM, Goto S, Eagle KA, Wilson PWF, Smith SC, Elbez Y, Steg PG. Generalizability of the REDUCE-IT trial and cardiovascular outcomes associated with hypertriglyceridemia among patients potentially eligible for icosapent ethyl therapy: An analysis of the REduction of Atherothrombosis for Continued Health (REACH) registry. Int J Cardiol 2021;340:96-104. PM: 34450192.

Salah HM, Khan MS, Fudim M. Summary of new trials presented at the 2021 American College of Cardiology Scientific Sessions. Eur Heart J Cardiovasc Pharmacother 2021;7(5):e79-e80. PM: 34156461.

Smith JS, Pack TF, Inoue A, Lee C, Zheng K, Choi I, Eiger DS, Warman A, Xiong X, Ma Z, Viswanathan G, Levitan IM, Rochelle LK, Staus DP, Snyder JC, Kahsai AW, Caron MG, Rajagopal S. Noncanonical scaffolding of G and β-arrestin by G protein-coupled receptors. Science 2021;371(6534):eaay1833. PM: 33479120.

Wang Z, Rankine L, Bier EA, Mummy D, Lu J, Church A, Tighe RM, Swaminathan A, Huang YT, Que LG, Mammarappallil JG, Rajagopal S, Driehuys B. Using hyperpolarized Xe gas-exchange MRI to model the regional airspace, membrane, and capillary contributions to diffusing capacity. J Appl Physiol (1985) 2021;130(5):1398-1409. PM: 33734831.

Duke Heart Pulse week ending September 19th 2021

September 19, 2021 / Leave a comment

Highlights of the week:

Excellent Duke Showing at HFSA 2021 Scientific Sessions

Duke Heart had a great showing at the Heart Failure Society of America’s 2021 Annual Scientific Sessions, held Sept. 10-13 in Denver, CO. This was a hybrid event due to the pandemic. Duke faculty and fellows were involved in lots of great discussions and had numerous achievements recognized throughout the weekend

Robert Mentz started off the sessions on Saturday, Sept 11, discussing “Novel Care Models to Improve Value and Address Disparities in HF.” During this session he highlighted the innovative steps Duke has taken towards bridging in-hospital and outpatient quality of care in heart failure, featuring quality outcomes research led by Anthony Carnicelli; novel clinical programs including an in-hospital virtual e-consult service across DOM and an EHR Dashboard led by Vishal Rao; outpatient Same Day Access and titration clinic led by Stephen Greene, and multidisciplinary palliative care programs centered on heart failure.

He also highlighted milestones and innovative work during his last year serving as Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Cardiac Failure.

Marat Fudim moderated an FDA Special Session entitled “Focus on HFSA Research Network.” This session featured Duke alums Christopher O’Connor and Mona Fiuzat as they discussed methods to improve health of heart failure patients through high value clinical research. Marat also gave oral presentations entitled “Emerging Devices and Procedures for Heart Failure” , “When CRT is Not an Option: Barostim for HFrEF with Narrow QRS” , “HeartLogic™ Clinical Data and Integration Into Clinical Practice,” and highlighted Duke’s growing remote monitoring and invasive hemodynamics and heart failure neuromodulation programs.

Adam DeVore presented on methods to improve HF quality care through hospital and patient engagement by highlighting key results in the CONNECT-HF trial.

Susan Dent presented on “Anti-HER2 Therapy – Safe for Use with Mildly Reduced LVEF and Who Should Receive Primary Prevention” during a special Cardio-Oncology session, bringing forth novel research led by Duke faculty.

Vanessa Blumer, an invited speaker, co-led the Hands-On Workshop on Acute Management of Cardiogenic Shock and served as a presenter on the session of Biventricular Failure/Cardiogenic Shock.

Duke Faculty and Fellows stole the show during the last day at HFSA:

Josephine Harrington was recognized for her excellent work during the JNC New Investigator Award session as the Runner-up for her abstract entitled “Angiopoietin 2 Predicts Clinical Outcomes and Recovery of Ventricular Function in Heart Failure”. Mentors included Ravi Karra and G. Michael Felker.

The Late-Breaking Clinical Trials session highlighted the evolving role of digital health technologies in heart failure care, and had a special Duke flavor to end the sessions:

Vishal Rao presented the key ancillary study of the CONNECT-HF trial, entitled “The Association Of Digital Tool Use And Heart Failure Care: Insights From The CONNECT-HF Trial” under mentorship by Adam DeVore and Adrian Hernandez. The study demonstrated that a mobile app intervention plus the usual care may improve HF quality of care by improving patients’ own self-care after hospitalization for acute heart failure.

Michael Felker presented the key results from the TARGET-HF-DM trial, entitled “A Mobile Health Intervention To Increase Physical Activity In Patients With Heart Failure And Diabetes: The Target-HF-DM Randomized Controlled Trial.” This work demonstrated that a mobile health intervention that included texts with feedback and updated personalized physical activity goals improved physical activity, quality of life and metabolomic profiling in patients with HF and diabetes.

Special recognition during the Poster Presentations:

Fourth year medical student Evan Murray presented during moderated poster sessions under mentorship by Robert Mentz and Stephen Greene. Two moderated posters are entitled, “Rehabilitation Therapy In Older Patients Hospitalized With Acute Heart Failure And Comorbid Diabetes: Insights From REHAB-HF” and “Unsupervised Machine Learning To Define Acute Hfpef Phenotypes: Findings From ASCEND-HF”

Bradi Granger presented a poster entitled “Performance On Guideline Directed Medical Therapy Remains Low In A Cluster-randomized Trial: Results From CONNECT-HF”
Third year medical resident Brittany Chapman presented poster entitled “Use Of Sacubitril-valsartan And Associated Outcomes By Race And Ethnicity In Patients With Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction: Data From CHAMP-HF” under mentorship by Adam DeVore.
Vishal Rao presented poster entitled “Electronic-based Characterization And Outcomes Of Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction” under mentorship by Michael Felker and Kishan Parikh.

In conclusion, we’d like to recognize Rob Mentz for his extraordinary leadership as Editor-in-Chief for the Journal of Cardiac Failure (JCF). We are very proud of the work he has done. He is shown here at the JCF Editorial Board meeting, which was held during the HFSA last weekend. We understand that everyone pictured here spoke up to thank him for the work he has done – his leadership was praised and his many accomplishments applauded throughout the conference. Well deserved!

Many thanks to Vanessa Blumer, Vishal Rao and Josephine Harrington for their excellent summary for Pulse!

VAD Joint Commission Visit This Week

Duke University Hospital has received notification of an upcoming Virtual VAD Joint Commission Visit on Monday, Sept. 20 and Tuesday, Sept. 21. We appreciate the groups who have worked hard to prepare. The surveyor will be rounding via iPad and the survey team will be wearing bright vests.

Please notify Stephanie Barnes, Clinical Director for Advanced Heart Failure Services,

with any questions or concerns. Thank you!

Lefkowitz Kicks Off CGR

We had a terrific Cardiology Grand Rounds with Robert Lefkowitz, MD on Tuesday, Sept. 14. His talk, A Few Things I’ve Learned Along the Way, was filled with insights – from his ‘10 Golden Rules of Mentoring,’ to his thoughts on the keys to success in science – it was an engaging hour for all attendees. Many thanks to all who joined us!

Duke Heart Seeks Team Captains, Walkers for Heart Walk

The Triangle Heart Walk is scheduled for Sunday, October 10 and we’d love see more members of the Duke Heart faculty and staff sign on as team captains or walkers. Registration is quick and easy – you can start your own team or join an existing one: simply visit triangleheartwalk.org/dukehealth2021. If you have any questions or need help, feel free to email Kimberly Burrows, senior director of development for the Triangle AHA, at kimberly.burrows@heart.org.

Due to pandemic circumstances, the event will not take place at PNC arena. Instead, the American Heart Association will have “pop-up” start lines at various locations throughout the Triangle (locations yet to be announced) or you can choose to walk on your own, wherever is most convenient to you.

Thanks for considering!

High 5 for Hall

Congratulations to Keryn Hall, Patient Service Associate for Duke Cardiology of Raleigh. She received a High 5 this week from Gina Sypliwtchak, also of Duke Cardiology of Raleigh:

“Keryn is one of the best of the best here at Duke Cardiology of Raleigh! She connects with patients, is always willing to help out and provides the best all-around service each and every day. We appreciate all she does and all she strives for! You rock, Keryn!”

Nicely done!

Reminder: Flu Vaccination Update

Duke University Health System (DUHS) requires all healthcare workers to comply with our Healthcare Worker Flu Vaccination policy by either being vaccinated annually against the flu or receiving an approved exemption. This is in alignment with our core value of “caring for our patients, their loved ones and each other.” Annual policy compliance is a condition of employment for all DUHS team members. Annual vaccination or policy compliance is also a condition of access to Duke Health facilities, including information systems, for those holding clinical privileges in a Duke Health facility and learners who wish to train in our facilities.

Please note these key dates for the upcoming flu vaccination season:

Launch of Flu Vaccination Season is Thursday, Sept. 30, 2021.
Applications for Medical or Religious Exemption should be submitted before Monday, Nov. 1, 2021. This will allow sufficient time for review and for communication of the review decision. Please note: Due to the availability of an egg-free formulation of the flu vaccine, egg allergy is not a reason for a medical exemption.
Policy compliance through vaccination or granted medical or religious exemption by Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2021, at 10 a.m.
More info available here: https://bit.ly/3lm5XXR

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

Cardiology Grand Rounds

September 21: ESC 2021 Recap with Bernard Gersh (Mayo Clinic) and Christopher Granger. 5 p.m., Webex.

September 28: Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Guidelines and Treatment Update with Andrew Wang. 7:15 a.m., Webex.

October 5: Critical Care Cardiology in the 21^st Century with Anthony Carnicelli. 5 p.m. Webex.

October 12: Lessons from ADAPTABLE and PREVENTABLE: Is Pragmatism the Answer? with Schuyler Jones. 5 p.m. Webex.

Upcoming Duke Heart CME

November 5: 13^th Annual NC Research Triangle Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium. Course directors are H. James Ford (UNC) and Terry Fortin. 8:30 a.m. to 4:20 p.m. Morning case-based workshops will be live, in person at Durham Convention Center (subject to change pending pandemic conditions). Masks and COVID vaccination required. Afternoon portion will be held via Zoom. For more information and to register, please visit: https://bit.ly/3DrZwuv.

Have news to share?

Duke Heart in the News:

September 9 — Nick Andersen

WRAL

New organ preservation technology offers hope for young transplant candidates

http://duke.is/S4g8Tg

September 9 — Duke University Hospital (Peds DCD story)

WNCN-RAL(CBS)

CBS 17 News at 11*

http://duke.is/RStnYT

*clip begins at 23:18:54

September 12 — Robert Califf

Medpage Today

Heart Failure’s ‘Golden Moment’ Not Translating into Better Health

http://duke.is/GvXcv9

September 12 — William Kraus

NBCNews.com

How many steps a day should you take? Study finds 7,000 can go a long way

http://duke.is/g583WZ

September 12 — William Kraus

Telemundo.com

¿Cuántos pasos hay que dar al día? Un estudio revela que 7,000 pueden ser suficientes para obtener beneficios

http://duke.is/vY1SQf

September 13 — G. Michael Felker

Medpage Today

Transplant Docs Are Sticking With Invasive Biopsies After Heart Transplants

http://duke.is/mmm9cB

September 13 — Neha Pagidipati

Medscape/Reuters Health

GLP-1 Receptor Agonists a Good Treatment Choice for Type 2 Diabetes

http://duke.is/BV2bEM

September 13 — Renato Lopes

Pharmacy Times

Cardiovascular Safety of Prostate Cancer Treatments Still Undecided

http://duke.is/YSIA4P

September 14 — Vishal Rao

tctMD

Digital App Improves HF Quality-of-Care Metrics: CONNECT-AF

http://duke.is/5FDmgT

September 14 — Nick Andersen

WTVD – ABC 11

Doctors at Duke University Hospital perform new type of heart transplant on 14-year-old

http://duke.is/91wzrB

September 15 — Nick Andersen

Spectrum News 1

N.C. teen gets new heart after first-of-its kind surgery at Duke University Hospital

http://duke.is/Eaz7hY

September 15 — G. Michael Felker

tctMD

In HF and Diabetes, Mobile Health App Modestly Boosts Physical Activity

http://duke.is/9XCWnn

September 15 — Vishal Rao

Healio/Cardiology

Digital health app may improve self-care after acute HF hospitalization

http://duke.is/nZbPds

September 15 — G. Michael Felker

Healio/Cardiology

Mobile health intervention improves physical activity, quality of life in HF, diabetes

http://duke.is/hTy7qr

September 15 — Nick Andersen (Peds DCD story)

WXLV – ABC 45

News at 11 p.m.*

http://duke.is/Sdw3vA

*clip begins at 23:08:41

September 16 — Robert Califf

Infection Control Today

Massive Study of Long COVID Launched

http://duke.is/Ny6LDT

September 16 — G. Michael Felker

MDEdge

Texts boost activity, quality of life in patients with heart failure and diabetes

http://duke.is/ECk1Kw

September 16 — Nick Andersen, Jacob Schroder, Ben Bryner & Joseph Turek

Spectrum News 1

Duke performs first U.S. pediatric heart transplant using new method

http://duke.is/dCyD6C

September 16 — Nick Andersen, Jacob Schroder, Ben Bryner & Joseph Turek

Becker’s Hospital Review

Duke performs US’ 1st pediatric heart transplant using new method

http://duke.is/h1LXVA

Division of Cardiology Publications Indexed in PubMed September 9-15, 2021

Barrett TJ, Cornwell M, Myndzar K, Rolling CC, Xia Y, Drenkova K, Biebuyck A, Fields AT, Tawil M, Luttrell-Williams E, Yuriditsky E, Smith G, Cotzia P, Neal MD, Kornblith LZ, Pittaluga S, Rapkiewicz AV, Burgess HM, Mohr I, Stapleford KA, Voora D, et al. Platelets amplify endotheliopathy in COVID-19. Sci Adv 2021;7(37):eabh2434. PM: 34516880.

Clarke JD, Piccini JP, Friedman DJ. The role of posterior wall isolation in catheter ablation of persistent atrial fibrillation. J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol 2021;32(9):2567-2576. PM: 34258794.

Cosiano MF, Tobin R, Mentz RJ, Greene SJ. Physical Functioning in Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction. J Card Fail 2021;27(9):1002-1016. PM: 33991684.

Jackson LR, Schrader P, Thomas L, Steinberg BA, Blanco R, Allen LA, Fonarow GC, Freeman JV, Gersh BJ, Kowey PR, Mahaffey KW, Naccarelli G, Reiffel J, Singer DE, Peterson ED, Piccini JP. Dosing of Direct Oral Anticoagulants in Patients with Moderate Chronic Kidney Disease in US Clinical Practice: Results from the Outcomes Registry for Better Informed Treatment of AF (ORBIT-AF II). Am J Cardiovasc Drugs 2021;21(5):553-561. PM: 33786798.

Jenista ER, Jensen CJ, Wendell D, Spatz D, Darty S, Kim HW, Parker M, Klem I, Chen EL, Kim RJ, Rehwald WG. Double spectral attenuated inversion recovery (DSPAIR)-an efficient fat suppression technique for late gadolinium enhancement at 3 tesla. NMR Biomed 2021;34(10):e4580. PM: 34251717.

Lala A, Mentz RJ. Overcoming Inertia: Announcing Double Blinded Reviews at JCF. J Card Fail 2021;27(9):923-924. PM: 34507804.

Lekavich CL, Abraham D, Fudim M, Green C, Mentz RJ, Harshaw-Ellis K, Bowers M, Kelsey A, Parikh K, Truong T, Barksdale D, Kraus WE. Early Identification of Patients at Risk for Incident Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction: Novel Approach to Echocardiographic Trends. J Card Fail 2021;27(9):942-948. PM: 33965536.

Mehran R, Cao D, Angiolillo DJ, Bangalore S, Bhatt DL, Ge J, Hermiller J, Makkar RR, Neumann FJ, Saito S, Picon H, Toelg R, Maksoud A, Chehab BM, De la Torre Hernandez JM, Kunadian V, Sardella G, Thiele H, Varenne O, Vranckx P, Windecker S, Zhou Y, Krucoff M. 3- or 1-Month DAPT in Patients at High Bleeding Risk Undergoing Everolimus-Eluting Stent Implantation. JACC Cardiovasc Interv 2021;14(17):1870-1883. PM: 34503737.

Nissen SE, Hutchinson HG, Wang TY, Ballantyne CM, Travis S, Morris M, Miller W, Hynson J, Wolski K, Ridker PM. Technology-Assisted Self-Selection of Candidates for Nonprescription Statin Therapy. J Am Coll Cardiol 2021;78(11):1114-1123. PM: 34503680.

Pagidipati NJ, Peterson ED. Should Cardiovascular Preventive Therapy Be Over-the-Counter? J Am Coll Cardiol 2021;78(11):1124-1126. PM: 34503681.

Pandey A, Shah SJ, Butler J, Kellogg DL, Lewis GD, Forman DE, Mentz RJ, Borlaug BA, Simon MA, Chirinos JA, Fielding RA, Volpi E, Molina AJA, Haykowsky MJ, Sam F, Goodpaster BH, Bertoni AG, Justice JN, White JP, Ding J, Hummel SL, LeBrasseur NK, Taffet GE. Exercise Intolerance in Older Adults With Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction: JACC State-of-the-Art Review. J Am Coll Cardiol 2021;78(11):1166-1187. PM: 34503685.

Piccini JP, Fudim M, Black-Maier E. Can catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation reverse heart failure with preserved ejection fraction? J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol 2021;32(9):2368-2370. PM: 34379342.

Vogel B, Baber U, Cohen DJ, Sartori S, Sharma SK, Angiolillo DJ, Farhan S, Goel R, Zhang Z, Briguori C, Collier T, Dangas G, Dudek D, Escaned J, Gil R, Han YL, Kaul U, Kornowski R, Krucoff MW, Kunadian V, Mehta SR, Moliterno D, Ohman EM, Sardella G, et al. Sex Differences Among Patients With High Risk Receiving Ticagrelor With or Without Aspirin After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: A Subgroup Analysis of the TWILIGHT Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Cardiol 2021;6(9):1032-1041. PM: 33991416.

Weissler EH, Clare RM, Lokhnygina Y, Buse JB, Goodman SG, Katona B, Iqbal N, Pagidipati NJ, Sattar N, Holman RR, Hernandez AF, Mentz RJ, Patel MR, Jones WS. Predicting major adverse limb events in individuals with type 2 diabetes: Insights from the EXSCEL trial. Diabet Med 2021;38(10):e14552. PM: 33690915.

White HD, O’Brien SM, Alexander KP, Boden WE, Bangalore S, Li J, Manjunath CN, Lopez-Sendon JL, Peteiro J, Gosselin G, Berger JS, Maggioni AP, Reynolds HR, Hochman JS, Maron DJ. Comparison of Days Alive Out of Hospital With Initial Invasive vs Conservative Management: A Prespecified Analysis of the ISCHEMIA Trial. JAMA Cardiol 2021;6(9):1023-1031. PM: 33938917.

Duke Heart Pulse Week ending September 12th 2021

September 12, 2021 / Leave a comment

Highlights of the week:

We all spent the week and weekend remembering 9-11 and all of the Heros, first responders, and brave Americans that have subsequently supported our country at home and abroad. We will always remember the sacrifice and impact on the lives of so many. We hope you all had time this weekend to be with family and friends and reflect on this moment.

Next week we will have updates from our colleagues presentations at the National Heart Failure Society meeting.

Duke Performs First Pediatric DCD Heart Transplant in U.S.

Surgeons at Duke University Hospital successfully performed a “donation after circulatory death” (DCD) heart transplant in a pediatric patient, demonstrating the potential expansion of eligible donor hearts for children with heart failure.

The transplant occurred Aug. 31 and is the first pediatric patient in the U.S. to undergo a DCD transplant using the organ preservation technology developed by Transmedics. A small number of children received early versions of DCD transplant — which uses organs that are retrieved from donors with no cardio-respiratory function — starting in the 1980s, but the method had limitations.

The organ preservation technology, which maintains the heart’s pumping action, received FDA approval this week for adult heart donations after brain death. For their 14-year-old patient, Duke surgeons received a special compassionate use approval from the FDA to use the technology for the DCD transplant.

“This is a landmark achievement for children with end-stage heart failure,” said Joseph Turek, M.D., Ph.D., chief of pediatric cardiac surgery at Duke who, along with Benjamin Bryner, M.D., retrieved the donated organs. Nick Andersen, M.D., and Jacob Schroder, M.D., led the eight-hour surgery, which also included a team of nurses, perfusionists and anesthesiologists.

“Children are, unfortunately, an underserved population when it comes to innovation, adaptation of technology and clinical trials,” Turek said. “It is our duty to advocate for them and to continue to advance the care in pediatric medicine.”

Duke has been a leader in DCD transplantation. In 2019, Duke surgeons performed the first adult DCD heart transplant in the United States and led the nation in DCD heart transplants as part of a clinical trial that contributed to the company’s FDA application for approval.

“This case highlights how Duke is uniquely suited to pioneer innovations in pediatric heart transplantation, due to our close collaboration and teamwork with the renowned adult heart transplant team,” Andersen said.

While the DCD technology cannot yet be used for the smallest children, it could potentially be adapted to older youngsters. At Duke alone, the method could be indicated for as many as five children a year. Having this option could significantly reduce the amount of time children spend waiting for a donor heart.

“It’s heartbreaking that children die while waiting for a heart transplant, and every advancement that makes more hearts available is one that saves lives,” said Schroder, director of Duke’s heart transplant program. “We are eager to explore all options that give children and their families hope.”

The pediatric patient, Jaynzra “Nae” Rice, is a 14-year-old who was born with a gene deletion syndrome and can’t verbally communicate what she’s experiencing. Hospitalized at Duke earlier this year with breathing difficulties, she received an LVAD – a left ventricular assist device that helps the heart pump – and spent three months in the hospital.

Nae’s mother, Brandaline Rice, said she feared not knowing what was going to come next for her daughter. But about three months after the hospital discharge, the family received word Nae was eligible for the first pediatric DCD heart transplant.

Since the Aug. 31 procedure, Nae continues to improve. While the teen still has a long journey ahead with rehab, her mom has faith in her fighting spirit. The family looks forward to Nae getting back to riding the bus to school and enjoying time with her 10-year-old sister.

“God grants second chances,” Brandaline said of her daughter’s journey to become the first child to receive this kind of procedure.

2021 Quality Awards from AHA

We are very excited to share with you the following American Heart Association 2021 Quality Awards recently achieved by our teams at Duke University Hospital, Duke Raleigh Hospital and the Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center. The awards are based on 2020 data.

Duke University Hospital

GWTG AFIB, Bronze
Mission: Lifeline STEMI, Gold Receiving Plus
Mission: Lifeline NSTEMI, Gold
GWTG Heart Failure, Gold Plus
GWTG Heart Failure, Target HF Honor Roll
GWTG Heart Failure, Target Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll
GWTG Stroke, Gold Plus
GWTG Stroke, Target Stroke Elite Honor Roll
GWTG Stroke, Target Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll

Duke Raleigh Hospital

GWTG Stroke, Gold Plus
GWTG Stroke, Target Stroke Elite Honor Roll
GWTG Stroke, Target Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll

Durham VAMC*

Mission: Lifeline NSTEMI, Silver

*Currently, there are nine VA Hospitals across the U.S. participating in at least one GWTG program. Just one of them is participating in GWTG CAD, and that is the Durham VAMC.

Congrats to Sunil Rao, his team at the VA, and to all Duke Heart team members for the work you do each day to help us achieve these award levels. Great job!

Shout-out to Mall

We received the following note this week regarding Anna Mall, clinical lead in the cath lab:

“Thank you for staying late last night to help get the final cases completed. I think that you showed true leadership by pitching-in and doing whatever it took to move things forward. Your “can do” good natured attitude was not lost on the staff nor me for that matter. Also, being thoughtful enough to provide food was even more special as everyone was clearly tired and hungry, but willing to work with a good attitude; I think that was a reflection on you! Great Job.” — Larry Crawford

Way to go, Anna!

CGR Kick-off with Lefkowitz, Sept. 14

Don’t miss Robert Lefkowitz, MD as our opening presenter of Cardiology Grand Rounds (CGR) on Tuesday, Sept. 14 at 5 p.m. The title of his talk is, A Few Things I’ve Learned Along the Way. The event will be held via Webex. This will be an hour well spent!

SingHealth Duke-NUS Scientific Congress

The 6th SingHealth Duke-NUS Scientific Congress will be held Sept. 17-18 on a virtual platform. Geoffrey Ginsburg will give the keynote lecture, The Forefront of Precision Medicine: Local and Global Opportunities. Ginsburg is also scheduled to speak during the Genomics Symposium, Precision Medicine: The New Paradigm during the event. He is presenting Harnessing Host Response Genomics for Early Detection and Diagnosis. For the full program and to learn more, please visit: https://bit.ly/3tAXjZ1.

ESC Congress Follow-up

Renato Lopes presented several high profile sessions during the recent European Society of Cardiology Congress. Lopes presented on the PRONOUNCE trial in the Late-Breaking Clinical Trials session and discussed both the Envisage-TAVI and Amulet-IDE trials, also during LBCT sessions. He provided the following photos for Pulse –he was one of only a few Americans to join the Congress in person this year.

Also during the LBCT sessions, Jon Piccini presented on the Micra Coverage with Evidence Development (CED) Study, the largest evaluation of leadless pacemakers to date, which showed the Micra Transcatheter Pacing System was associated with a 38 percent reduction in reinterventions and a 31 percent reduction in chronic complications at 2-years compared with traditional transvenous pacemakers.

“There is considerable evidence supporting the safety and efficacy of leadless pacemakers, but limited data evaluating their long-term outcomes compared to traditional pacemakers in a real-world setting,” said Piccini. “The results from this study further support the connection of a lower risk of complications with leadless pacing compared with traditional transvenous single chamber pacing. These data should help guide physicians as they determine the best pacing options for their patients.”

Pam Douglas gave several important talks on the future of cardiac imaging including the role of AI and ways in which anatomic imaging will be dominant.

We had terrific representation this year at ESC — great work by all Duke presenters!

2021 Heart Walk Seeking Team Captains, Walkers

The Triangle Heart Walk is scheduled for Sunday, October 10. Recruitment of team captains and walkers for Duke Health is underway. Start your own team or join an existing one. Registration is quick and easy: simply visit triangleheartwalk.org/dukehealth2021. If you have any questions or need help, feel free to email Kimberly Burrows, senior director of development for the Triangle AHA, at kimberly.burrows@heart.org.

Due to pandemic circumstances, teams and walkers will decide their own walking path. The American Heart Association will have “pop-up” start lines at various locations throughout the Triangle (locations yet to be announced) or you can choose to walk on your own, wherever is most convenient to you.

We are looking for more teams to represent Duke Heart! Please join us!

Flu Vaccination Update

Please note these key dates for the upcoming flu vaccination season:

Launch of Flu Vaccination Season is Thursday, Sept. 30, 2021.
Applications for Medical or Religious Exemption should be submitted before Monday, Nov. 1, 2021. This will allow sufficient time for review and for communication of the review decision. Please note: Due to the availability of an egg-free formulation of the flu vaccine, egg allergy is not a reason for a medical exemption.
Policy compliance through vaccination or granted medical or religious exemption by Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2021, at 10 a.m.
More info available here: https://bit.ly/3lm5XXR

Timeline Reminder: COVID vaccination

Whitted Retirement Celebration Held

Thanks to all who were able to join us in celebrating with Lorraine Whitted. Her last day at Duke was Thursday, September 9, 2021. Lorraine is retiring after 44 years of service at Duke. We wish her all the best!

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

Cardiology Grand Rounds

September 14: CGR Kick-off event: A Few Things I’ve Learned Along the Way with Robert J. Lefkowitz, MD, James B. Duke Professor of Medicine; Professor of Biochemistry and Chemistry; Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute. 5 p.m., Webex.

September 21: ESC 2021 Recap with Bernard Gersh (Mayo Clinic) and Christopher Granger. 5 p.m., Webex.

September 28: Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Guidelines and Treatment Update with Andrew Wang. 7:15 a.m., Webex.

October 5: Critical Care Cardiology in the 21^st Century with Anthony Carnicelli. 5 p.m. Webex.

October 12: Lessons from ADAPTABLE and PREVENTABLE: Is Pragmatism the Answer? with Schuyler Jones. 5 p.m. Webex.

Upcoming Duke Heart CME

November 5: 13^th Annual NC Research Triangle Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium. Course directors are H. James Ford (UNC) and Terry Fortin. 8:30 a.m. to 4:20 p.m. Morning case-based workshops will be live, in person at Durham Convention Center (subject to change pending pandemic conditions). Masks and COVID vaccination required. Afternoon portion will be held via Zoom. For more information and to register, please visit: https://bit.ly/3DrZwuv.

Have news to share?

Duke Heart in the News:

September 1 — Andrew Landstrom

tctMD

Genetic Testing for CVD in Children: AHA Statement Suggests Focus on Multidisciplinary Care

http://duke.is/u8Kb7p

September 1 — Edward Chen

Duke Chronicle

‘He’s done so well’: Recipient of first new generation heart transplant is recovering as expected

http://duke.is/GwrQre

September 2 — Manesh Patel

Charlotte Observer

Delta surge is hitting NC hospitals hard. I saw it as an ER heart patient.

http://duke.is/MQQeMT

September 3 — E. Magnus Ohman

Medscape

Antiplatelets and Anticoagulation Post-PCI: More on MASTER DAPT

http://duke.is/pticuD

September 3 — Jonathan Piccini

Medscape

Micra Leadless Pacemaker Holds Up at 2 Years in Real-World Use

http://duke.is/iXLqWr

September 4 — Vanessa Blumer

WUVP-TV 17 (Univision, Philadelphia, PA)

Duke esta desarrollando el estudio COVID mas grande a nivel nacional, la meta es poder estudiar en este ano mas de 15.000 pacientes

No link available

September 7 — Neha Pagidipati

Healio/Cardiology

Web app for self-prescription of statins 96% concordant with physician reviewers

http://duke.is/eC7xvR

September 7 — Neha Pagidipati

Medpage Today

‘Self-Service’ Statin Prescribing? Study Suggests It’s Possible

http://duke.is/tnrXzV

September 8 — Jacob Schroder

Impact Lab

First Successful Transplant of a Robotic Heart

http://duke.is/JAQ2vJ

September 8 — Adrian Hernandez

Wired

Better Data on Ivermectin Is Finally on Its Way

http://duke.is/WFjyhB

September 8 — Jacob Schroder

Cardiovascular Business

FDA approves new solution for preserving hearts before transplantation

http://duke.is/WRZ96S

September 8 — Michelle Kelsey

U.S. News & World Report

AHA News: How a Simple Tape Measure May Help Predict Diabetes in Black Adults

http://duke.is/ZdD57d

Division of Cardiology Publications Indexed in PubMed September 2‒8, 2021

Califf RM, Zarin DA. Monitoring the Pediatric Clinical Trials Enterprise. Pediatrics 2021;148(3):e2021051589. PM: 34465589.

Carnicelli AP, Clare R, Hofmann P, Chiswell K, DeVore AD, Vemulapalli S, Felker GM, Sarocco P, Mentz RJ. Characteristics and Outcomes of Patients With Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction After a Recent Worsening Heart Failure Event. J Am Heart Assoc 2021;10(17):e021276. PM: 34472362.

Chouairi F, Fuery M, Clark KA, Mullan CW, Stewart J, Caraballo C, Clarke JD, Sen S, Guha A, Ibrahim NE, Cole RT, Holaday L, Anwer M, Geirsson A, Rogers JG, Velazquez EJ, Desai NR, Ahmad T, Miller PE. Evaluation of Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Cardiac Transplantation. J Am Heart Assoc 2021;10(17):e021067. PM: 34431324.

Fanaroff AC, Yang L, Nathan AS, Khatana SAM, Julien H, Wang TY, Armstrong EJ, Treat-Jacobson D, Glaser JD, Wang G, Damrauer SM, Giri J, Groeneveld PW. Geographic and Socioeconomic Disparities in Major Lower Extremity Amputation Rates in Metropolitan Areas. J Am Heart Assoc 2021;10(17):e021456. PM: 34431320.

Gerstein HC, Sattar N, Rosenstock J, Ramasundarahettige C, Pratley R, Lopes RD, Lam CSP, Khurmi NS, Heenan L, Del Prato S, Dyal L, Branch K. Cardiovascular and Renal Outcomes with Efpeglenatide in Type 2 Diabetes. N Engl J Med 2021;385(10):896-907. PM: 34215025.

Greene SJ, Khan MS. Practical and Evidence-Based Approaches to In-Hospital Decongestion for Heart Failure: Are We There Yet? JACC Heart Fail 2021;9(9):649-652. PM: 34246608.

Gumus Balikcioglu P, Ramaker ME, Mason KA, Huffman KM, Johnson JL, Ilkayeva O, Muehlbauer MJ, Freemark M, Kraus WE. Branched-Chain Amino Acid Catabolism and Cardiopulmonary Function Following Acute Maximal Exercise Testing in Adolescents. Front Cardiovasc Med 2021;8:721354. PM: 34485418.

Ibrahim NE, Felker GM. Don’t Be So Fast to Discard That Clean Catch! JACC Heart Fail 2021;9(9):624-626. PM: 34246605.

Johnson CS, Shively C, Michalson KT, Lea AJ, DeBo RJ, Howard TD, Hawkins GA, Appt SE, Liu Y, McCall CE, Herrington DM, Ip EH, Register TC, Snyder-Mackler N. Contrasting effects of Western vs Mediterranean diets on monocyte inflammatory gene expression and social behavior in a primate model. Elife 2021;10:10.7554/eLife.68293. PM: 34338633.

Lopez-Ayala P, Nestelberger T, Boeddinghaus J, Koechlin L, Ratmann PD, Strebel I, Gehrke J, Meier S, Walter J, Rubini Gimenez M, Mutschler E, Miró Ò, López-Barbeito B, Martín-Sánchez FJ, Rodríguez-Adrada E, Keller DI, Newby LK, Twerenbold R, Giannitsis E. Novel Criteria for the Observe-Zone of the ESC 0/1h-hs-cTnT Algorithm. Circulation 2021;144(10):773-787. PM: 34376064.

Moeller S, Hansen CM, Kragholm K, Dupre ME, Sasson C, Pearson DA, Tyson C, Jollis JG, Monk L, Starks MA, McNally B, Thomas KL, Becker L, Torp-Pedersen C, Granger CB. Race Differences in Interventions and Survival After Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest in North Carolina, 2010 to 2014. J Am Heart Assoc 2021;10(17):e019082. PM: 34431375.

Pillsbury MKM, Mwangi E, Andesia J, Njuguna B, Bloomfield GS, Chepchumba A, Kamano J, Mercer T, Miheso J, Pastakia SD, Pathak S, Thakkar A, Naanyu V, Akwanalo C, Vedanthan R. Human-centered implementation research: a new approach to develop and evaluate implementation strategies for strengthening referral networks for hypertension in western Kenya. BMC Health Serv Res 2021;21(1):910. PM: 34479556.

Ruchman SG, Delong AK, Kamano JH, Bloomfield GS, Chrysanthopoulou SA, Fuster V, Horowitz CR, Kiptoo P, Matelong W, Mugo R, Naanyu V, Orango V, Pastakia SD, Valente TW, Hogan JW, Vedanthan R. Egocentric social network characteristics and cardiovascular risk among patients with hypertension or diabetes in western Kenya: a cross-sectional analysis from the BIGPIC trial. BMJ Open 2021;11(9):e049610. PM: 34475172.

Shah P, Agbor-Enoh S, Tunc I, Hsu S, Russell S, Feller E, Shah K, Rodrigo ME, Najjar SS, Kong H, Pirooznia M, Fideli U, Bikineyeva A, Marishta A, Bhatti K, Yang Y, Mutebi C, Yu K, Kyoo Jang M, Marboe C, Berry GJ, Valantine HA. Response by Shah et al to Letter Regarding Article, “Cell-Free DNA to Detect Heart Allograft Acute Rejection”. Circulation 2021;144(10):e198-e199. PM: 34491771.

Shern JF, Selfe J, Izquierdo E, Patidar R, Chou HC, Song YK, Yohe ME, Sindiri S, Wei J, Wen X, Rudzinski ER, Barkauskas DA, Lo T, Hall D, Linardic CM, Hughes D, Jamal S, Jenney M, Chisholm J, Brown R, Jones K, Hicks B, Angelini P, George S, Chesler L. Genomic Classification and Clinical Outcome in Rhabdomyosarcoma: A Report From an International Consortium. J Clin Oncol 2021;39(26):2859-2871. PM: 34166060.

Simonin M, Rocca JD, Gerson JR, Moore E, Brooks AC, Czaplicki L, Ross MRV, Fierer N, Craine JM, Bernhardt ES. Consistent declines in aquatic biodiversity across diverse domains of life in rivers impacted by surface coal mining. Ecol Appl 2021;31(6):e02389. PM: 34142402.

Varshney AS, Minhas AMK, Bhatt AS, Ambrosy AP, Fudim M, Vaduganathan M. Contemporary Burden of Primary Versus Secondary Heart Failure Hospitalizations in the United States. Am J Cardiol 2021;156:140-142. PM: 34315568.

Wang T, Douglas PS, Reza N. Gender Gaps in Salary and Representation in Academic Internal Medicine Specialties in the US. JAMA Intern Med 2021;181(9):1255-1257. PM: 34251403.

Weissler EH, Naumann T, Andersson T, Ranganath R, Elemento O, Luo Y, Freitag DF, Benoit J, Hughes MC, Khan F, Slater P, Shameer K, Roe M, Hutchison E, Kollins SH, Broedl U, Meng Z, Wong JL, Curtis L, Huang E, Ghassemi M. Correction to: The role of machine learning in clinical research: transforming the future of evidence generation. Trials 2021;22(1):593. PM: 34488840.

Duke Heart Week Ending 9-5-2021

September 5, 2021 / Leave a comment

In Memoriam: Roger Gammon, MD

We were deeply saddened to learn of the passing last weekend of Dr. Roger Gammon, an interventional cardiologist who trained at Duke and spent his career in Austin, TX. Prior to his retirement earlier this year, he served as director of the Center for Advanced Cardiovascular Research at Austin Heart. Gammon died in Austin on Sunday, August 29 after a brief illness. He was 61 years old.

Gammon did his clinical cardiology fellowship and interventional cardiovascular fellowship training at Duke from 1988 to 1992. He then went into practice at Austin Heart where he had been recruited by Dr. George Rodgers.

Born in Paola, KS, Gammon excelled as a scholar and athlete. He went on to become valedictorian of Drexel High School’s class of 1978 having lettered in three sports, serving as class president, band president and president of the National Honor Society. Gammon entered the University of Missouri – Kansas City where he would complete a B.A. in biology, become a University Scholar and go on to attend UM-Kansas City School of Medicine. His internship and residency were completed at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Dallas, Parkland Memorial Hospital, where he also served as chief resident prior to joining the Duke fellowship.

A letter of recommendation for his entry to Duke’s fellowship program mentions, “He is quiet, but not shy, very practical, down to earth and effective in dealing with people. He is well read and knowledgeable and is generally regarded as one of the very best residents in his group.”

During his training at Duke, Gammon spent dedicated research time in the laboratory of Richard S. Stack, MD, professor emeritus at Duke and president of Synecor, LLC.

“Roger stood out as one of the most outstanding fellows that I ever had the privilege of training. Not only was he incredibly skillful in performing interventional procedures, but he also spent a dedicated year with me in my research laboratory developing the first bioabsorbable stent in the world,” said Stack. “Further, we took that to the discovery of placing drugs into the polymer that would prevent restenosis. Importantly, this research led directly to the use of polymers on metal stents that were used to deliver antiproliferative drugs that were applied directly to one of the most popular and successful drug-eluting stents of all time. This research was combined with the engineering efforts of Guidant Corporation to result directly in the development of the Xience stent, which by the end of last year, had been placed in 50 million people in the U.S. and around the world.”

We extend our sincere condolences to his wife, Laura (a former Duke CCU nurse), their children and extended family members, and to his many friends and colleagues, particularly those at Austin Heart.

Dr. Gammon was an active member of DUCCS and is remembered fondly by many Duke alums – here and throughout the U.S.

Here are some of their thoughts:

“Roger was just a great human being. Kind, generous, really funny. I have some really good Gammon stories. He was very generous to the new fellows in the cath lab, including myself, in terms of his time and his teaching. He was really excellent, technically, and a very good physician. I would run into him every so often at various investigator meetings and at the professional society meetings. He always had a big smile and was always happy to reconnect. He enjoyed what he did and was very good at it. He truly was all the things that are good about being a Duke fellow. He had all of the characteristics: he worked hard, was smart, collegial, collaborative, and he had a really great sense of humor. He always lightened the situation.” – Robert A. Harrington, MD, Arthur L. Bloomfield Professor of Medicine and Chair, Department of Medicine at Stanford University

“I entered my training a little before Roger did, but we overlapped here at Duke and I remember him well. I recall Roger as a great team player. He was always there to support his fellows. His patient care was impeccable. He was truly committed to his patients and provided excellent care – some of the best I’ve seen. Not only was he a gifted clinician, he was just a great guy.” – Mike Sketch, MD

“I remember him as one of the nicest and most competent interventional fellows ever. He was a favorite among his peers and with the staff in general. What a tragic loss.” — Thomas Bashore, MD

“Roger came to Duke as a cardiology fellow in 1988, as one of the early stars from UT Southwestern, where he had been chief resident. We remember him as soft spoken, friendly, and an astute clinician. He also was an excellent actor in the cath lab fellow skit, where he cut quite a figure in tights! He completed his fellowship in 1992 and returned to Texas, where he stayed active and loyal as a Duke alumnus. He was a beloved member of the Duke Cardiology family, and we will miss him.” — Christopher Granger, MD

“Roger was very quiet, a gentle person – understated. He always did the right thing. He did some really innovative research while working under Richard Stack. What was interesting to me was he went into private practice after his fellowship, but he actually continued to do high level phase 3 research. He recruited another one of our fellows, Frank Zidar, to his practice later on and the two of them worked really hard together keeping up with academic research work and clinical trials. Roger was always participating in the DUCCS meetings and remained active in DUCCS throughout his career. I really enjoyed working with him in the cath lab during his training. He was a really terrific guy.” – E. Magnus Ohman, MD

Service/memorial information for Dr. Gammon was not available at the time of this posting, but we will share more when we are able to do so.

Lorraine Whitted Retirement; 44 Years of Service in Heart Care

Lorraine Whitted, administrative assistant/Health Unit Coordinator for Duke Heart, will be retiring on September 9 after 44 years of service at Duke. Lorraine has worked in Heart services since 1977 in varying roles including Health Unit Coordinator (HUC), HUC Supervisor, Unit Service Coordinator, Staff Specialist, and her most recent role of Administrative Assistant/HUC Supervisor.

Throughout her time at Duke, she coordinated many Heart Center related projects, assisted with grant writing, and served on the Duke Hospital HUC Council. She was nominated three times for the highly esteemed Susan B. Clark Administrative Leadership award.

Lorraine is known for her positive approach to work, willingness to help others, and serving as an expert resource internally and externally to Heart Services. Congratulations, Lorraine and thank you for your many years of service at Duke! You will be missed!

2021 HF Collaboratory/HFSA Research Awards Announced

Congratulations to the Duke Heart Failure Research Cluster and the following individuals for receiving 2021 HF Collaboratory/HFSA Research Awards! These awards recognize top Research Sites, Principal Investigators and Site Coordinators and will be presented during the HFSA Annual Scientific Meeting in Denver on September 11.

Top Principal Investigators

Tracy DeWald, PharmD for TRANSFORM – HF

Top Site Coordinators

Kim Biever for TRANSFORM – HF, REHAB-HF
Inneke Johnson for Splanchnic Nerve Blockage in Acute HF and Splanchnic Nerve Blockage in Chronic HF

Top Research Sites

Duke University

PI: Tracy DeWald, PharmD

TRANSFORM-HF, CONNECT-HF

Site Coordinator: Kim Biever

Duke University

PI: Robert Mentz, MD; Intervention Leader: Amy Pastva, PhD

REHAB-HF

Site Coordinator: Kim Biever

Duke University

PI: Kishan Parikh, MD

SPIRRIT-HFpEF

Site Coordinator: Kim Biever

Wow!!! Great work, everyone!

Loring Selected for NIH/SBIR Grant Funding

Congratulations to Zak Loring, a fellow in our Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology training program! We learned that he has received official notification that a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant that he submitted to the National Institutes of Health, in partnership with a company called Huxley Medical, Inc., has been funded. The grant title is Non-invasive hemodynamic sensor patch for remote, early detection and prevention of heart failure with left bundle branch block and will be a prospective study cross-validating a novel, multi-modal patch sensor against echocardiography to identify upstream predictors of cardiomyopathy development in left bundle branch block patients.

Loring petitioned the School of Medicine and has been granted PI status for the project as well. Great work, Zak, way to go!

Lefkowitz to Kick-off CGR on Sept. 14

We are pleased to welcome Robert Lefkowitz, MD as our opening presenter of Cardiology Grand Rounds (CGR) on Tuesday, Sept. 14 at 5 p.m. The title of his talk is, A Few Things I’ve Learned Along the Way. The event will be held via Webex. All are welcome and encouraged to attend!

“We are so excited to have Dr. Lefkowitz make the opening pitch to kick off another season of cardiology grand rounds,” said Nishant Shah, MD, assistant professor of medicine in cardiology and one of the co-leaders of Cardiology Grand Rounds. “He is an inspiration to many and has made amazing contributions to the field of medicine. We couldn’t be more honored to have him share his experiences and insights on advancing cardiovascular research, particularly in the current times.”

Shah is stepping in this year to co-lead CGR with Jenn Rymer, MD. Together, they thank Chris Holley for all he has done in the past to support CGR. If you have suggestions for speakers or topics you would like to see at upcoming CGRs this year, please email Nishant and Jenn.

We look forward to seeing you (virtually) on Sept. 14!

Cardiac Ultrasound Program Celebrates First Commencement

The Duke Cardiac Ultrasound Certificate Program celebrated their first commencement on Saturday, August 28, at the Trent Semans Center for Health Education. Speakers included Anita Kelsey, medical director of the program, and Richard Palma, director and clinical coordinator of the program. Guest speakers included Manesh Patel, Joseph Kisslo and two members of the graduating class — Jamie Falcha and Karl Hofmeister.

Hofmeister received the outstanding student award, which was renamed the Joseph Kisslo, MD Outstanding Award. The renaming of the award was announced during the commencement ceremony when Kisslo was presented with an award for his dedication to teaching.

Ashlee Davis, Brenda Sedberry and Jon Owensby – Duke sonographers – each received recognition awards for “outstanding service to sonographer education”.

In addition to Falcha and Hofmeister, program graduates included Patricia Derozier, Michelle Garvey, Erica Guerra, Aliyah Jordan and Brianna Lubrano.

Congratulations to all!

Duke Heart Grows by One!

Congratulations to Kasey Williams and her family on the birth of their baby girl, Julia Mae, this past week. She weighed 8 lbs., 4 oz., and measured 21 inches long. All are doing well and we look forward to meeting her!

2021 Heart Walk Seeking Team Captains, Walkers

The Triangle Heart Walk is scheduled for Sunday, October 10. Recruitment of team captains and walkers for Duke Health is currently underway – please consider joining us! You can start your own team or join an existing one. Registration is quick and easy: simply visit triangleheartwalk.org/dukehealth2021. If you have any questions or need help, feel free to email Kimberly Burrows, senior director of development for the Triangle AHA, at kimberly.burrows@heart.org.

This is not a mass gathering event. Due to pandemic circumstances, teams and walkers will decide their own walking path. The American Heart Association will have “pop-up” start lines at various locations throughout the Triangle (exact locations to be announced at a later date) or you can choose to walk on your own, wherever is most convenient to you.

The Heart Walk is a great way to set activity goals and put yourself and your health first while engaging in friendly competition among other teams and walkers.

DHTS Deploying Zscaler to all Duke Health Computers

This month, DHTS will deploy Zscaler to all Duke Health computers to combat increasing threats and cyberattacks that occur regularly to the Duke Health network. Zscaler is a software service that provides additional protection from computer malware, viruses and ransomware. The software protects Duke Health computers from accessing malicious internet sites and provides an extra layer of security when accessing commonly used sites (e.g., social media, external email, third-party email marketing platforms, etc.)

Once Zscaler is installed on computers, users will see the log in screen (example appears in the image shown here) and must enter their NetID and password in order to activate the software. Access to the network and internet will be denied if users do not login to Zscaler when prompted. Users should only have to login once following software installation, and will not be prompted to login again in the future.

Watch this video for more information about Zscaler.

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

Cardiology Grand Rounds

September 21: ESC 2021 Recap with Bernard Gersh (Mayo Clinic) and Christopher Granger. 5 p.m., Webex.

September 28: Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Guidelines and Treatment Update with Andrew Wang. 7:15 a.m., Webex.

Upcoming Duke Heart CME

November 5: 13^th Annual NC Research Triangle Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium. Course directors are H. James Ford (UNC) and Terry Fortin. 8:30 a.m. to 4:20 p.m. Morning case-based workshops will be live, in person at Durham Convention Center (subject to change pending pandemic conditions). Masks and COVID vaccination required. Afternoon portion will be held via Zoom. For more information and to register, please visit: https://bit.ly/3DrZwuv.

Have news to share?

Duke Heart in the News:

August 28 — Renato Lopes

tctMD

ENVISAGE-TAVI AF: Edoxaban Disappoints in TAVI Setting

https://www.tctmd.com/news/envisage-tavi-af-edoxaban-disappoints-tavi-setting

August 28 — Renato Lopes

Medpage Today

Edoxaban: A Mixed Bag for TAVR Patients Needing Anticoagulation

https://www.medpagetoday.com/meetingcoverage/esc/94264?vpass=1

August 28 — E. Magnus Ohman

Medpage Today

One Month of DAPT Reasonable in Patients at High Bleeding Risk

https://www.medpagetoday.com/meetingcoverage/esc/94265

August 28 — E. Magnus Ohman

HCP Live

Single Month of Dual Antiplatelet Therapy Noninferior to Continued Therapy After PCI

https://www.hcplive.com/view/single-month-dual-antiplatelet-therapy-noninferior-continued-therapy-after-pci

August 28 — E. Magnus Ohman

Healio/Cardiac/Vascular Intervention

DAPT for 1 month after PCI safe, effective in patients at high bleeding risk: MASTER DAPT

https://www.healio.com/news/cardiac-vascular-intervention/20210828/dapt-for-1-month-after-pci-safe-effective-in-patients-at-high-bleeding-risk-master-dapt

August 28 — Renato Lopes

Medscape

‘Less Is More’ for Edoxaban in Post-TAVI Anticoagulation: ENVISAGE-TAVI AF

https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/957466

August 30 — Renato Lopes

MDedge

Although inconclusive, CV safety study of cancer therapy attracts attention

https://www.mdedge.com/familymedicine/article/244979/acute-coronary-syndromes/although-inconclusive-cv-safety-study-cancer

August 30 — Renato Lopes

Medscape

Amulet Bests Watchman for LAAO But Not for Bleeding: AMULET-IDE

https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/957571

August 30 — Renato Lopes

Healio/Cardiology

CV safety of prostate cancer therapies ‘remains unresolved’: PRONOUNCE

https://www.healio.com/news/cardiology/20210830/cv-safety-of-prostate-cancer-therapies-remains-unresolved-pronounce

August 30 — James Blumenthal

Healio/Psychiatry

Escitalopram reduces anxiety and depression in patients with CHD

https://www.healio.com/news/psychiatry/20210830/escitalopram-reduces-anxiety-and-depression-in-patients-with-chd

August 30 — Renato Lopes

tctMD

PRONOUNCE: No Difference in CVD Risks With Degarelix and Leuprolide for Prostate Cancer

https://www.tctmd.com/news/pronounce-no-difference-cvd-risks-degarelix-and-leuprolide-prostate-cancer

Duke Heart Week Ending August 29th 2021

August 29, 2021 / Leave a comment

Chief’s message: Cardiac Sonographers graduation, Digital European Society of Cardiology Meeting and other highlights.

This weekend I had the pleasure of attending the graduation of the first Duke Cardiac Sonographers certificate program – a program many years in the making. The program originally conceived of by Joe Kisslo was never put into place until we had the fortune of recruiting both Anita Kelsey and Richie Palma from Connecticut – where they had run a successful training course for many years. We will have the official write up of it next week – but I include a few photos I took here. The school, training, and CDU work by this group is a testament to the teamwork, quality, and long-standing desire to continue to strive for excellence in imaging that Joe Kisslo and others have embedded at Duke. More to come on this accomplishment, but I wanted to include a few photo’s here as it was great to see the first class graduate.

Additionally, this weekend had the start of the European Society of Cardiology meeting with several important studies and highlights. Some of our key faculty presentations are below, and we have several more to come. My vote for the most impactful trial to human health is the Salt Substitution study (SSaSS) where 600 villages in China were cluster randomized to getting usual salt (100% Sodium Chloride) or salt substitute (75% sodium chloride and 25% potassium chloride- KCl). The Salt Substitute reduced cardiovascular events and reduced mortality by 12%. Although our sources of salt are different in the US, we will quickly be hearing about how this type of substitution should be considered and tested in our communities to improve health through BP improvement and CV event reduction. Other key findings from the ESC were around new therapies for patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (heart failure with normal heart function) – EMPERIOR-Preserved, the testing of short course Dual Anti-platelet therapy in patients with high bleeding risk post MI (1 vs. 3 months) – MASTERDAPT. This study showed no difference in clinical outcomes, less bleeding with 1 month (mostly in patients not on oral anti-coagulants). Our own Magnus Ohman writes the editorial in the New England Journal for this trial (you will see the link below). Additionally, important studies around managing atrial fibrillation both with exercise to prevent AF, anticoagulation in patients identified by screening and the benefit or lack thereof of routine screening for subclinical AF, and the benefit of prolonged anticoagulation post COVID-19 hospitalization by Renato Lopes and colleagues in Brazil were all presented. Lots of great science, and I know many of our faculty were up early hours on the weekend to present in the European time zone. Congratulations to all of our faculty, colleagues and collaborators who continue to help us advance the field of cardiovascular medicine.

Highlights of the week:

ESC Congress 2021: The Digital Experience

The European Society of Cardiology’s ESC Congress 2021 is underway (Aug. 27-30)! Duke presenters include include Jonathan Piccini, Renato Lopes, Sana Al-Khatib, Pamela Douglas, Manesh Patel and Adrian Hernandez and many others.

Note, the below links will only work for those who have registered (and it’s not too late to do so!)

On-Demand Content:

ePoster: Efficacy and safety of vericiguat in patients with HFrEF treated with sacubitril/valsartan: results from the VICTORIA trial

Adrian F Hernandez, MD, MHS

ePoster: Hemoglobin, anemia, and clinical outcomes in vericiguat global study in subjects with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (VICTORIA)

Adrian F Hernandez, MD, MHS

ePoster: Vericiguat and health status outcomes in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction: Insights from the VICTORIA trial

Adrian F Hernandez, MD, MHS

Sessions:

August 27, Will computers interpret all cardiac imaging?

Pamela S Douglas, MD, MACC, FASE, FAHA

August 27, Late-Breaker: Two-Year Outcomes with Leadless Pacing- Micra CED Results

Jonathan P Piccini, MD, MHS, FHRS

August 28, Evolving Cardiovascular risk: Your patient’s past, present and future

Manesh R Patel, MD

August 28, Satellite Session: Building the evidence base for cardiac interventions in non-valvular atrial fibrillation

Renato D Lopes, MD, PhD

Remaining sessions include:

August 30 (2:15-3:00 a.m., on Live Abstracts: COVID-19 2), Live Abstract: COVID-19 and cardiovascular pharmacotherapy

Renato D Lopes, MD, PhD

August 30 (2-2:45 a.m., on Channel 5: Coronary Artery Disease), Great Debate: rise of the machines? – human vs. artificial intelligence for ECG interpretation

Sana M Al-Khatib, MD, MHS

August 30 (8:30-9:00 a.m., in Exhibit Hall B2), PRONOUNCE: comparing cardiovascular safety of degarelix vs. leuprolide in patients with advanced prostate cancer and cardiovascular disease

Renato D Lopes, MD, PhD

Congratulations to all the presenters.

NIH Funding Awarded to Piccini, Mathew

Congratulations to Jonathan Piccini and Joseph Mathew! They were notified this week by the National Institutes of Health/National Institute on Aging that their project, Neurocognition and Greater Maintenance of Sinus Rhythm in AF (NOGGIN AF), has been selected for award funding. The award is for $740,086 effective Sept. 1.

Piccini, Mathew and team will be using functional MRI and other cognitive testing to examine the hypothesis that catheter ablation leads to better preservation of brain function.

Nafissi Abstract Selected for 2021 NCYIF

Congratulations to Navid Nafissi, fellow in our Advanced Training in Cardiology fellowship program – his abstract, Integration of Electronic Health Records with Genetics in Monogenic Electrophysiologic Disorders, has been selected for presentation at the 17th Annual Northwestern Cardiovascular Young Investigators’ Forum (NCYIF) being held at The Omni Chicago Hotel, October 14-16, 2021, in Chicago, IL. His mentor is Svati Shah.

The event is presented by Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and Creative Educational Concepts, Inc., and supported by an independent educational grant from AstraZeneca.

Congratulations Navid!

Gail Cox Retirement Party Held

The Duke Cardiology at Southpoint team celebrated with nurse clinician Gail Cox on Friday, August 27. Cox recently announced her retirement from Duke and we know she will be missed by many!

“Gail is a great nurse who always provided compassionate care for our patients. She was also a trail blazer for the nurse clinician role with dual inpatient rounding and outpatient roles, which has evolved over the years.” — Carolyn Lekavich, PhD

“Gail is one of the longest serving nurse clinicians in Duke Cardiology. She started as nurse in the late 1980s on 7100. Her initial nurse clinician job was with Dr. Tom Wall and she worked with him on both the wards and in the clinic. When Tom left to take on a new position as a cardiologist in Greensboro, she was assigned to work with me. We worked together for over 25 years and Gail was a very thoughtful and caring nurse clinician in the clinic.

She was deeply involved with all her patients and they loved her back. An example of how much she connected with her patients came when she got remarried a number of years ago. At least 20 patients who Gail had helped came to her wedding! A true testament to her skill of connecting with our patients. I still see many patients who would like to get a ‘Gail update.’”

— Magnus Ohman, MD

“She has spent over 20 years with Duke Cardiology in support of various attendings including myself, Magnus and initially Tom Wall. Her experience and expertise in delivering patient-centered care through her role as a nurse clinician (a role she both defined and embodied) will be irreplaceable. She will be deeply missed by all of our patients, the staff at Southpoint and mostly myself.” — Mike Blazing, MD

Thank you, Gail, for the great patient care and support you’ve given over the years!

ICYMI: Ohman NEJM Editorial

The New England Journal of Medicine posted an editorial by E. Magnus Ohman on August 28. “The Evolving Post-PCI Antithrombotic Therapies” is available for viewing here: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMe2112747

Congratulations, Magnus!

CTICU APP Team Receives Preceptor Award

Our Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit Advance Practice Provider team has been awarded the 2021 Acute Care Preceptor Award from the Duke University School of Nursing MSN Program.

The award notification states:

“Due to your impressive leadership, scholarly success, and commitment to DUSON’s students and core values, and your ability to model effective teamwork while making our students feel part of the team is appreciated. As a team, you collectively worked to ensure our students had quality critical care experiences that not only reinforced what they learned in class, but informed their own practice as well. In a high stress environment, you showed the importance of grace under fire and treating patients with dignity and respect. Thank you for all of your efforts to help our students learn and grow as healthcare providers.”

Way to go — congratulations to all!

2021 Heart Walk Seeking Team Captains, Walkers

Recruitment for team captains and walkers is underway! Duke Heart is proud to again be sponsoring and participating in the Triangle Heart Walk, which is scheduled for Sunday, October 10. Due to pandemic circumstances, this year you can decide your walking path. The American Heart Association will have “pop-up” start lines at various locations throughout the Triangle (exact locations to be announced later) or you can choose to walk on your own, wherever is most convenient to you! The 2021 Heart Walk will offer maximum flexibility but remains focused on improving health of residents in the Triangle and to raising funds for lifesaving research.

The Heart Walk is a great way to put yourself and your health first. This year, an activity tracker has been built into the Heart Walk App, which goes live 30 days before the event (Sept. 10). Let’s see who can get the most minutes and be at the top of the leaderboard!

You can start your own team or join an existing one. Registration is quick and easy: simply visit triangleheartwalk.org/dukehealth2021. If you have any questions or need help, feel free to email Kimberly Burrows, senior director of development for the Triangle AHA, at kimberly.burrows@heart.org.

Celebration Held for McKinney

Thanks to all who were able to join us in celebrating with Heather McKinney. Her last day at Duke was Friday, August 27. McKinney is headed to Duke Lifepoint Healthcare’s Maria Parham Health in Henderson, NC, to serve as ICU/PCU Director.

Well-Being Resources Available
Over the past year and a half, the COVID pandemic has taken a toll on our mental and emotional health. Now more than ever, many people are experiencing increased feelings of burnout, depression and anxiety. We realize this is also true for many of our team members, especially those on the front lines caring for patients.

Caring for our patients, their loved ones and each other starts with caring for yourself. The ongoing challenges of the COVID pandemic are real. Please consider taking advantage of the many tools that are available to help manage feelings of burnout, anxiety and grief.

Duke’s Personal Assistance Service offers a variety of programs. The Business Health Services program is available for Duke Raleigh Hospital and Wake County-based team members. This coping card, developed by the Duke Center for Healthcare Safety & Quality includes practical, at-a-glance strategies, as well as additional well-being resources and contact phone numbers.

Thank you for the incredible care and compassion you provide to our patients, their loved ones and each other every day. Please remember to also take care of yourself.

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

Cardiology Grand Rounds

September 21: ESC 2021 Recap with Bernard Gersh (Mayo Clinic) and Christopher Granger. 5 p.m., Webex.

September 28: Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Guidelines and Treatment Update with Andrew Wang. 7:15 a.m., Webex.

Upcoming Duke Heart CME

November 5: 13^th Annual NC Research Triangle Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium. Course directors are H. James Ford (UNC) and Terry Fortin. 8:30 a.m. to 4:20 p.m. Morning case-based workshops will be live, in person at Durham Convention Center (subject to change pending pandemic conditions). Masks and COVID vaccination required. Afternoon portion will be held via Zoom. For more information and to register, please visit: https://bit.ly/3DrZwuv.

MDEpiNet Predictable and Sustainable Implementation of National Cardiovascular Registries (PASSION CVR): Registry-Supported Prospective Trials: What are we missing?

September 9: Part 1: Exploring Predicates and Lessons Learned. Noon – 5 p.m. ET. Virtual.

Join us for this Virtual Mini-Think Tank to explore opportunities, challenges, and lessons learned related to the uptake and adoption of registry-supported trials infrastructure! To register, please visit: https://duke.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_b3Egi7WMPhsG8MS

Meeting Objectives:

This collaborative, pre-competitive think tank aims to:

Part I (September 9th):

to provide a forum for frank discussion of predicates and “lessons learned” including operational barriers such as logistical, technical, fiscal and conceptual issues across key stakeholders
to develop themes for focused Working Groups going forward

Part II (Date TBD):

to target specific operational barriers with solution-oriented working groups tasked to define and develop concrete deliverables on a 12 month timeline in parallel with more aspirational deliverables of future import
to develop prospective study “use-case” opportunities leveraging prospective studies targeting regulatory- or clinical best practice- evidence collections

Have news to share?

Duke Heart in the News:

August 20 — Andrew Langstrom

Healio/Cardiology

AHA issues recommendations on pediatric genetic testing for heritable CVDs

http://duke.is/mIuSj2

August 20 — Andrew Langstrom

ClinicalOmics.com

AHA Provides its First Guidance on Cardiac Genetic Testing in Children

http://duke.is/Az78Y4

August 20 — Andrew Langstom

ScienceDaily

Cardiovascular disorder genetic testing in children presents unique challenges

http://duke.is/VbwW6H

*carried by 12 additional news outlets

August 20 — Andrew Langstrom

Heart.org

Genetic testing in children for heart disorders should be family-centered, include counseling

http://duke.is/Va14pg

August 23 — Robert Lefkowitz

Clear+Vivid with Alan Alda

Robert Lefkowitz: A Soldier of Science

http://duke.is/gFyVkm

August 24 — Manesh Patel

HCPLive

FDA Approves Rivaroxaban for Post-LER Patients with Peripheral Artery Disease

http://duke.is/387Nq3

August 24 — Christopher Granger

U.S. News & World Report

AHA News: Cardiac Arrest Program May Improve Bystander CPR But Not Survival in Black People

https://bit.ly/3krGKuw

*article appears in 21+ news outlets

August 25 — Paul Wischmeyer (Anesthesiology/Critical Care)

August 27 — James Blumenthal (Psychiatry)

Medscape

Antidepressant, Exercise Help Combat Anxiety in Coronary Heart Disease

https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/957364

Division of Cardiology Publications Indexed in PubMed August 19-25, 2021

Alba GA, Atri D, Darbha S, Singh I, Tapson VF, Lewis MI, Chun HJ, Yu YR, Maron BA, Rajagopal S. Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension: the Bench. Curr Cardiol Rep 2021;23(10):141. PM: 34410515.

Bertges DJ, Eldrup-Jorgensen J, Drozda J, Jones WS, Sedrakyan A, Krucoff MW, Cronenwett JL. Toward a better system for the sustainable development of objective performance goals for peripheral vascular interventions. J Vasc Surg 2021;74(3):1013-1014. PM: 34425943.

Greene SJ, Fonarow GC. Clinical inertia and medical therapy for heart failure: the unintended harms of ‘first, do no harm’. Eur J Heart Fail 2021;23(8):1343-1345. PM: 34184376.

Jones WS, Wruck LM, Hernandez AF. Aspirin Dosing in Cardiovascular Disease. Reply. N Engl J Med 2021;385(8):765. PM: 34407354.

Matusov Y, Singh I, Yu YR, Chun HJ, Maron BA, Tapson VF, Lewis MI, Rajagopal S. Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension: the Bedside. Curr Cardiol Rep 2021;23(10):147. PM: 34410530.

Neshteruk CD, Zizzi A, Suarez L, Erickson E, Kraus WE, Li JS, Skinner AC, Story M, Zucker N, Armstrong SC. Weight-Related Behaviors of Children with Obesity during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Child Obes 2021;17(6):371-378. PM: 33902326.

Ponikowski P, Alemayehu W, Oto A, Bahit MC, Noori E, Patel MJ, Butler J, Ezekowitz JA, Hernandez AF, Lam CSP, O’Connor CM, Pieske B, Roessig L, Voors AA, Westerhout C, Armstrong PW. Vericiguat in patients with atrial fibrillation and heart failure with reduced ejection fraction: insights from the VICTORIA trial. Eur J Heart Fail 2021;23(8):1300-1312. PM: 34191395.

Rosario KF, DeVore AD. Can we prevent infections in patients with left ventricular assist devices? Eur J Heart Fail 2021;23(8):1416-1418. PM: 34132005.

Valle JA, Li Z, Kosinski AS, Nelson AJ, Vemulapalli S, Cleveland J, Fullerton D, Messenger JC, Rove JY, Bricker RS, Bradley SM, Masoudi FA, Yeh RW, Armstrong EJ, Waldo SW, Carroll JD. Dissemination of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement in the United States. J Am Coll Cardiol 2021;78(8):794-806. PM: 34412813.

Voors AA, Mulder H, Reyes E, Cowie MR, Lassus J, Hernandez AF, Ezekowitz JA, Butler J, O’Connor CM, Koglin J, Lam CSP, Pieske B, Roessig L, Ponikowski P, Anstrom KJ, Armstrong PW. Renal function and the effects of vericiguat in patients with worsening heart failure with reduced ejection fraction: insights from the VICTORIA (Vericiguat Global Study in Subjects with HFrEF) trial. Eur J Heart Fail 2021;23(8):1313-1321. PM: 33999486.

Zhang Y, Kontos CD, Annex BH, Popel AS. A systems biology model of junctional localization and downstream signaling of the Ang-Tie signaling pathway. NPJ Syst Biol Appl 2021;7(1):34. PM: 34417472.

Duke Heart Week Ending August 22nd 2021

August 22, 2021 / Leave a comment

Transitions: McKinney Heading for New Role with Duke Life Point

Heather McKinney, MSN, RN, NE-BC, will be leaving Duke on August 27, 2021 for a position as ICU/PCU Director at a Duke LifePoint Hospital. Heather has worked in the Heart Center since 2002 in varying roles including as a staff nurse on 3100 and, for the past 13 years, as a Nurse Manager on 3100. During her time at Duke, Heather completed the American Organization for Nursing Leadership Nurse Manager fellowship, served on Duke University Health System and Duke University Hospital Committees, and had several presentations accepted at the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses National Teaching Institute conference.

Heather, who is widely known for ‘leading with her heart,’ has a passion for mentorship of staff and leaders and has supported the professional growth and development of many throughout the service line. She has nominated several leaders who won Great 100 or Friends of Nursing awards.

On behalf of the entire Duke Heart Leadership Team, we thank Heather for her dedication to our patients, the faculty and staff of Duke Heart, as well as to Duke University Hospital. She will certainly be missed.

Please join us in wishing her well in her new role!

Friede Abstract Selected for 2021 NCYIF

Congratulations to interventional cardiology fellow Kevin Friede – his abstract, A Gene Expression Signature Reflective of Exposure to Antiplatelet Therapy is Associated with Bleeding, has been selected for presentation at the 17th Annual Northwestern Cardiovascular Young Investigators’ Forum (NCYIF) being held at The Omni Chicago Hotel, October 14-16, 2021, in Chicago, IL. His mentor is Deepak Voora.

The event is presented by Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and Creative Educational Concepts, Inc., and supported by an independent educational grant from AstraZeneca.

Congratulations Kevin!

Shout-out to Rymer, Freedman

A big shout-out this week for Jennifer Rymer and Neil Freedman from Jordan Pomeroy, who shared a note of gratitude with us:

“Huge praise for Jenn Rymer and Neil Freedman for covering/switching shifts with me this week for CAD Night coverage. It brings significant peace of mind to know that I will be home to help my wife and kids while she recovers. I greatly appreciate my colleagues!”

Way to go, Jenn and Neil! We love the teamwork and support our colleagues show to one another.

Faculty/Fellows Gathering Held

Thanks to all who were able to join us on Thursday evening at Ponysaurus Brewing Company here in Durham to welcome our newest fellows to Duke!

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

September 9: MDEpiNet Predictable and Sustainable Implementation of National Cardiovascular Registries (PASSION CVR): Registry-Supported Prospective Trials: What are we missing? Part 1: Exploring Predicates and Lessons Learned. Noon – 5 p.m. ET. Virtual.

Meeting Objectives:

This collaborative, pre-competitive think tank aims to:

Part I (September 9th):

to provide a forum for frank discussion of predicates and “lessons learned” including operational barriers such as logistical, technical, fiscal and conceptual issues across key stakeholders
to develop themes for focused Working Groups going forward

Part II (TBD):

to target specific operational barriers with solution-oriented working groups tasked to define and develop concrete deliverables on a 12 month timeline in parallel with more aspirational deliverables of future import
to develop prospective study “use-case” opportunities leveraging prospective studies targeting regulatory- or clinical best practice- evidence collections

Have news to share?

Duke Heart in the News:

August 12 — Adrian Hernandez

Reuters

Fact Check-Animal Ivermectin should not be used on humans

http://duke.is/9SvqTC

August 12 — Mitchell Krucoff and E. Magnus Ohman

tctMD

Conversations in Cardiology: Music in the Cath Lab?

http://duke.is/ceyJww

Division of Cardiology Publications Indexed in PubMed August 12-18, 2021

Atwater BD, Li Z, Pritchard J, Greiner MA, Nabutovsky Y, Hammill BG. Early Increased Physical Activity, Cardiac Rehabilitation, and Survival After Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator Implantation. Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes 2021;14(8):e007580. PM: 34284598.

Benjamin EJ, Al-Khatib SM, Desvigne-Nickens P, Alonso A, Djoussé L, Forman DE, Gillis AM, Hendriks JML, Hills MT, Kirchhof P, Link MS, Marcus GM, Mehra R, Murray KT, Parkash R, Piña IL, Redline S, Rienstra M, Sanders P, Somers VK, Van Wagoner DR, Wang PJ. Research Priorities in the Secondary Prevention of Atrial Fibrillation: A National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Virtual Workshop Report. J Am Heart Assoc 2021;10(16):e021566. PM: 34351783.

Brennan JM, Lowenstern A, Sheridan P, Boero IJ, Thourani VH, Vemulapalli S, Wang TY, Liska O, Gander S, Jager J, Leon MB, Peterson ED. Association Between Patient Survival and Clinician Variability in Treatment Rates for Aortic Valve Stenosis. J Am Heart Assoc 2021;10(16):e020490. PM: 34387116.

Colaco NA, Wang TS, Ma Y, Scherzer R, Ilkayeva OR, Desvigne-Nickens P, Braunwald E, Hernandez AF, Butler J, Shah SH, Shah SJ, Hsue PY. Transmethylamine-N-Oxide Is Associated With Diffuse Cardiac Fibrosis in People Living With HIV. J Am Heart Assoc 2021;10(16):e020499. PM: 34365799.

Cremer PC, Wang TKM, Rodriguez LL, Lindman BR, Zhang Y, Zajarias A, Hahn RT, Lerakis S, Malaisrie SC, Douglas PS, Pibarot P, Svensson LG, Kapadia S, Leon MB, Jaber WA. Incidence and Clinical Significance of Worsening Tricuspid Regurgitation Following Surgical or Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement: Analysis From the PARTNER IIA Trial. Circ Cardiovasc Interv 2021;14(8):e010437. PM: 34266311.

Dehghani P, Cantor WJ, Wang J, Wood DA, Storey RF, Mehran R, Bainey KR, Welsh RC, Rodés-Cabau J, Rao S, Lavi S, Velianou JL, Natarajan MK, Ziakas A, Guiducci V, Fernández-Avilés F, Cairns JA, Mehta SR. Complete Revascularization in Patients Undergoing a Pharmacoinvasive Strategy for ST-Segment-Elevation Myocardial Infarction: Insights From the COMPLETE Trial. Circ Cardiovasc Interv 2021;14(8):e010458. PM: 34320839.

Dungan JR, Qin X, Hurdle M, Haynes CS, Hauser ER, Kraus WE. Corrigendum: Genome-Wide Variants Associated With Longitudinal Survival Outcomes Among Individuals With Coronary Artery Disease. Front Genet 2021;12:726466. PM: 34386044.

Eliya Y, Whitelaw S, Thabane L, Voors AA, Douglas PS, Van Spall HGC. Temporal Trends and Clinical Trial Characteristics Associated With the Inclusion of Women in Heart Failure Trial Steering Committees: A Systematic Review. Circ Heart Fail 2021;14(8):e008064. PM: 34281362.

Giugliano RP, Gencer B, Wiviott SD, Park JG, Fuchs CS, Goessling W, Musliner TA, Tershakovec AM, Blazing MA, Califf R, Cannon CP, Braunwald E. Prospective Evaluation of Malignancy in 17,708 Patients Randomized to Ezetimibe Versus Placebo: Analysis From IMPROVE-IT. JACC CardioOncol 2020;2(3):385-396. PM: 34396246.

Gomez JA, Payne A, Pratt RE, Hodgkinson CP, Dzau VJ. A role for Sfrp2 in cardiomyogenesis in vivo. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021;118(33):e2103676118. PM: 34380738.

Greene SJ, Choi S, Lippmann SJ, Mentz RJ, Greiner MA, Hardy NC, Hammill BG, Luo N, Samsky MD, Heidenreich PA, Laskey WK, Yancy CW, Peterson PN, Curtis LH, Hernandez AF, Fonarow GC, O’Brien EC. Clinical Effectiveness of Sacubitril/Valsartan Among Patients Hospitalized for Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction. J Am Heart Assoc 2021;10(16):e021459. PM: 34350772.

Melloni C, Slovin SF, Blemings A, Goodman SG, Evans CP, Nilsson J, Bhatt DL, Zubovskiy K, Olesen TK, Dugi K, Clarke NW, Higano CS, Roe MT. Cardiovascular Safety of Degarelix Versus Leuprolide for Advanced Prostate Cancer: The PRONOUNCE Trial Study Design. JACC CardioOncol 2020;2(1):70-81. PM: 34396210.

Moll-Bernardes R, de Sousa AS, Macedo AVS, Lopes RD, Vera N, Maia LCR, Feldman A, Arruda GDAS, Castro MJC, Pimentel-Coelho PM, de Albuquerque DC, de Paula TC, Furquim TAB, Loures VA, Giusti KGD, de Oliveira NM, De Luca FA, Kotsugai MDM, Domiciano RAM, et al. IL-10 and IL-12 (P70) Levels Predict the Risk of Covid-19 Progression in Hypertensive Patients: Insights From the BRACE-CORONA Trial. Front Cardiovasc Med 2021;8:702507. PM: 34386533.

Paul S, Wong M, Akhabue E, Mehta RC, Kramer H, Isakova T, Carnethon MR, Wolf M, Gutiérrez OM. Fibroblast Growth Factor 23 and Incident Cardiovascular Disease and Mortality in Middle-Aged Adults. J Am Heart Assoc 2021;10(16):e020196. PM: 34387090.

Piccini JP, Dufton C, Carroll IA, Healey JS, Abraham WT, Khaykin Y, Aleong R, Krueger SK, Sauer WH, Wilton SB, Rienstra M, van Veldhuisen DJ, Anand IS, White M, Camm AJ, Ziegler PD, Marshall D, Bristow MR, Connolly SJ. Bucindolol Decreases Atrial Fibrillation Burden in Patients With Heart Failure and the Arg389Arg Genotype. Circ Arrhythm Electrophysiol 2021;14(8):e009591. PM: 34270905.

Szarek M, Bhatt DL, Steg PG, Cannon CP, Leiter LA, McGuire DK, Lewis JB, Riddle MC, Voors AA, Metra M, Lund LH, Komajda M, Testani JM, Wilcox CS, Ponikowski P, Lopes RD, Banks P, Tesfaye E, Ezekowitz JA, Verma S, Pitt B. Effect of Sotagliflozin on Total Hospitalizations in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes and Worsening Heart Failure : A Randomized Trial. Ann Intern Med 2021;174(8):1065-1072. PM: 34152828.

Weissler EH, Osazuwa-Peters OL, Greiner MA, Hughes GC, Long CA, Vemulapalli S, Patel MR, Jones WS. National trends in repair for type B aortic dissection. Clin Cardiol 2021;44(8):1058-1068. PM: 34173677.

Duke Heart Week Ending August 15th 2021

August 15, 2021 / Leave a comment

Highlights of the week:

Kisslo Celebrated on 80^th

Members of the Duke Heart team gathered this past week both in person and virtually to celebrate Joe Kisslo’s recent (80th) birthday.

“From the first phased array to the world of echo and cardiology with more than 45 years at Duke echo lab!” – Fawaz Alenezi, MD

Happy birthday, Joe!

Many thanks to all who were able to participate, and special thanks to members of the Duke echo lab, especially Sreekanth Vemualapalli, Fawaz Alenezi and sonographers Ashlee Davis, Batina Kight and Brenda Sedberry for helping to make arrangements. We like the disco lighting!

Photos courtesy of Fawaz Alenezi.

Members of HF Team to be Recognized by HFSA

Congratulations to Tracy DeWald, PharmD; Kishan Parikh, MD, and Kimberly Biever, CRC – members of Duke’s Heart Failure team. They will be recognized during the Research Network Session of the Heart Failure Society of America (HFSA) Scientific Sessions (Sept. 10-13). Duke was selected for a Top Research Site Award for outstanding performance in the TRANSFORM, CONNECT-HF and SPIRRIT HFpEF clinical trials.

In a letter shared with us this past week, we learned:

“Congratulations! On behalf of Dr. O’Connor, HFSA Research Committee Chair and HF-Collaboratory PI, we are pleased to notify you that Duke University has been selected for a Top Research Site Award for your outstanding performance in the TRANSFORM, CONNECT-HF and SPIRRIT HFpEF clinical trials. You were nominated by Dr. Marat Fudim.

As an awardee, you will receive a $500 credit towards registration and membership for the Heart Failure Society of America (HFSA) Scientific Sessions September 10 – 13 at the Gaylord Rockies in Denver, Colorado. Awardees will be recognized during the Research Network Session. We hope you can attend in person to be recognized; however, there will be a virtual option if you are unable to attend in person. You will also receive a certificate by mail.

In addition, we would be thrilled to have you join the HFSA Research Network. As part of this strong, integrated network of clinical investigators and coordinators under the umbrella of the HFSA, you will have access to best practices, be eligible to assist with site development and training, and make connections with sponsors interested in engaging research sites in their clinical trials. We are also developing future opportunities for central contracting, institutional review board, and budget negotiations.

As a Top Research Site, you will be recognized at the annual meeting, through Twitter, and on the HFSA and HF Collaboratory websites. In addition, we encourage you to join and maintain membership in the HFSA and continue to enjoy the benefits of membership.

Congratulations on this accomplishment!” — Sincerely, Christopher O’Connor, PI, Heart Failure Collaboratory and chair, HFSA Research Network and Research Committee.

Way to go!

Study Will Determine Rate of COVID Heart Inflammation Among Elite Athletes

An innovative study at Duke Health aims to determine the prevalence of COVID-related heart inflammation among top-level athletes and establish the symptoms and clinical features to ensure they receive timely and accurate diagnoses.

Heart inflammation, called myocarditis, can arise from COVID infections, and can cause chest pain, heart palpitations and shortness of breath. In severe cases, it can cause permanent damage. Numerous college and professional athletes have tested positive for COVID, adding heightened urgency to research on the cardiovascular effects of the infection.

The Duke-led study is an outgrowth of the Hearts of Athletes study that was launched to establish a better understanding of how hearts are altered by high-level athletic activities. With the new focus on COVID, the study will enroll 300 NCAA, professional and Olympic athletes around the country – 200 who have had COVID and 100 who have not – to undergo heart tests and participate in ongoing monitoring via a health app.

“Even before COVID, we did not have enough information about how the hearts of elite athletes might be different than other healthy people,” said study lead Manesh Patel, MD, chief of cardiology at Duke. “Now with COVID and its potential impact on the heart, it’s more important than ever to understand whether athletes face unique risks or greater protections based on their cardiovascular features.”

The Hearts of Athletes study is funded by The Joel Cornette Foundation, which was established by the family of former Division 1 basketball player Joel Cornette after he died unexpectedly in his mid-30s from an undiagnosed heart condition. The Cornette Foundation supports research into heart disease among athletes and selected Duke as the analytic center for the Hearts of Athletes study.

The study will be available to top athletes from across the U.S. through the Hearts of Athletes app — built on Deloitte’s ConvergeHEALTH MyPath for Clinical cloud-based digital platform — downloaded to their mobile devices.

Both COVID-positive and -negative study participants will undergo standard heart workups — including an echocardiogram followed by a cardiac MRI — at a medical facility where they live. Athletes who have received COVID vaccinations will also be eligible. Their de-identified cardiac images will then be sent to the Duke Heart Center for a blinded analysis. Those who have abnormalities will undergo additional observation and treatment.

Participants will also complete a daily health survey for a month, noting COVID symptoms and other health information, via the app.

The study will determine the rate of COVID-related myocardial involvement among athletes, as well as the symptoms and clinical features associated with the condition. Additionally, the data and images of the athletes’ hearts will be archived for additional research that could inform medical care and treatment.

“This study will help us better understand how COVID affects the hearts of athletes and, more importantly, how playing sports affects the heart more broadly,” Patel said. “Athletes need to know if they have heart conditions that put them at risk – this is information that is empowering. We need to be able to identify those conditions and weigh the impact.”

Shout-out to Nuttall

This past week, we were forwarded a note recognizing Savannah Nuttall, CNI on 7300, for compassionate care shown to a patient.

“Savannah, I just wanted to point out the wonderful care that you provided a patient in his last day and hours. I will long remember you holding his hand and comforting him as he passed, one of the most compassionate gestures I have seen in my career at Duke. The patient had no family, yet he passed with great comfort from you. You certainly have chosen the right field and we and our patients are fortunate to have you at Duke.” – Jamie Jollis, MD

“Savannah, thank you for the compassion you showed for our patient. Your display of caring helps us all remember the real reason we are healthcare providers. Thank you for providing him with support and human touch during his last day and hours. You exemplify what a nurse and healthcare provider brings to those in need. We are so fortunate to have you as part of the Duke Heart team.” – Jill Engel, DNP, ACCNP, NEA-BC, FAANP, AVP Heart Services

Monica Harper, nurse manager operations, 7300, shared, “We all want to thank Savannah for taking time to comfort a patient as he was dying. Her caring and meaningful actions truly exemplify Duke values of putting patients first.”

Savannah wanted to ensure that Dr. Jollis and Janny Sweetow were also recognized, as both advocated and cared for the patient. Both “went above & beyond to make sure he was comfortable as well as check in on me & make sure I was okay.”

We thank each of you for the compassionate care given to this patient as he neared the end of his life. Well done.

Jon Andrews, MD, Joins Cardiac Anesthesiology Team

Mihai Podgoreanu, chief, division of cardiac anesthesiology, announced the addition of Jon Andrews, MD, to the Duke Cardiac Anesthesiology faculty. In a note sent last weekend, Podgoreanu wrote:

“Please join me in welcoming Jon Andrews, MD to our Cardiothoracic family. After serving our country during multiple deployments as part of the US Army Special Forces, Jon obtained his medical degree, anesthesiology residency and dual fellowship training in adult cardiothoracic anesthesiology and pediatric anesthesia at Duke. Jon will start in the CTOR tomorrow (Monday, August 9), and will participate in the care of both adult and pediatric cardiac surgical patients.”

Please give Jon a warm welcome when you meet him!

Reminder: Faculty & Fellows Gathering

Please join us for a cardiology faculty and fellows happy hour at Ponysaurus Brewery on Thursday, August 19th from 5-8 p.m. We have rented the covered top deck of the brewery so that we can get together rain or shine!

Some Duke Photos from the Week:

Dr. Bashore checking in with Dr. Sketch on the weekend

Submitted by Jason Katz: Cardiology and Anesthesiology/critical care fellows working together in the CTICU on a procedure.

Scholars Tip of the Month: First Impressions

As we prepare for the start of another academic year, consider giving your Scholars@Duke profile a fresh new look. Your profile picture is often the very first thing someone sees on your profile, so please take a moment to ensure you are leveraging your photo correctly to establish a friendly and professional first impression with students, patients, and peers. We’ve gathered five tips to help you select the perfect profile picture. – Scholars@Duke team

5 Tips for a Perfect Profile Picture

Choose a photo that looks like you. Make sure your Scholars profile picture is up-to-date (within the past few years) and reflects how you look on a daily basis – your hair, glasses, makeup, etc.
Make sure your face takes up at least 60% of the frame. Crop your picture from the top of your shoulders to just above your head so that your face fills the frame and shows off your smile.
Choose the right expression. You want to appear warm and friendly. That way, viewers of your profile (i.e., potential collaborators, students, patients) will be able to imagine having a pleasant conversation with you.
Wear what you would wear to work. Wear clothes that match the level of dressiness at your office. Also, note that solid colors tend to do best on camera.
Choose a background that isn’t distracting. After you put all that effort into having the perfect expression, you don’t want anything to distract from your face. Keep the background simple so that you are the focal point.

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

Have news to share?

Duke Heart in the News:

July 29 — Matthew Moore (patient)

WJZY/Fox 46 News (Charlotte)

NC father receives new-generation artificial heart, the first in North America

http://duke.is/BrxLjX

July 30 — Karen Alexander

US News & World Report

AHA News: Dementia Can Complicate Heart Recovery and Treatment

http://duke.is/qbRsRk

July 30 — Jonathan Piccini

Medscape

Prefer Direct Oral Anticoagulants Over Aspirin After Ventricular Ablations: STROKE-VT

https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/955728

August 1 — W. Schuyler Jones

Pharmacy Today

What’s the right aspirin dose for CVD patients?

http://duke.is/g5Cyvd

August 1 — Derek Chew and Duke Clinical Research Institute

Medpage Today

CABANA Paints Afib Ablation as Cost ‘Attractive’

https://www.medpagetoday.com/meetingcoverage/hrs/93849

August 2 — William Kraus

Medscape

Modest Calorie Cut Plus Exercise May Improve Vascular Health

https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/955833

August 4 — Mary Ann Fuchs

The Business Journals

Health care employers step up DE&I efforts

http://duke.is/U4T1rn

August 4 — Derek Chew

tctMD

Catheter Ablation ‘Good Value’ in CABANA Economic Analysis

http://duke.is/M6AARW

August 5 — Adam DeVore

Medscape

Hospital Intervention Fails to Improve Heart Failure Outcomes

https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/956108

August 8 — Alvin Wells (Rheumatology and Immunology)

Healio/Rheumatology

‘What we see that kills patients’: Managing cardiovascular event risk in lupus nephritis

http://duke.is/T1Ks9D

August 8 — Matthew Moore (patient)

WNCN/CBS 17 News

Heart Implant Recipient Celebrates 40th Birthday in Hospital

http://duke.is/1N5GjN

August 9 — Tracy Wang

Everyday Health

Cutting Just 250 Calories a Day and Adding 4 Days of Moderate Exercise Could Help Prevent Heart Disease

http://duke.is/r4SdqR

August 9 — Manesh Patel

WNCN CBS 17 News

Duke studying how top athletes are impacted by COVID-19 infections

http://duke.is/cuggiu

August 9 — Manesh Patel

WRAL NBC 5 News

Duke Health to study heart inflammation from COVID-19 in athletes

http://duke.is/SEk5iY

August 9 — Matthew Moore

WNCT CBS 9 News (Greenville, SC)

Duke Hospital artificial heart recipient celebrates 40th birthday as he continues recovery

http://duke.is/tXaFtb

August 10 — Duke University Hospital

Becker’s Hospital Review

US News: The top hospital for heart care by state

http://duke.is/wPrvrx

August 11 — Adrian Hernandez

WBTW CBS-13 News Charlotte

Activ-6 study examines medications’ effects on COVID-19

http://duke.is/KzfcHz

August 11 — Adrian Hernandez

WFXB Fox-43 News Myrtle Beach

Duke study looks at medications’ effects on COVID-19

http://duke.is/i9IkKT

August 11 — Adrian Hernandez

WUNC-FM 91.5

Researchers at Duke examine existing medications and their effects on COVID-19

http://duke.is/z131S7

Division of Cardiology Publications Indexed in PubMed July 30 – Aug 4, 2021

Ali-Ahmed F, Dalgaard F, Allen Lapointe NM, Kosinski AS, Blumer V, Morin DP, Sanders GD, Al-Khatib SM. Right ventricular lead location and outcomes among patients with cardiac resynchronization therapy: A meta-analysis. Prog Cardiovasc Dis May-Jun 2021;66:53-60. PM: 33864874.

Arps K, Chakravartti J, Hess CN, Rao SV. Ventricular Fibrillation Due to Aortocoronary Vein Graft Spasm During Angiography: Case Report and Literature Review. JACC Case Rep 2021 Mar 17;3(3):388-391. PM: 34317543.

Bianco HT, Povoa R, Izar MC, Luna Filho B, Moreira FT, Stefanini E, Fonseca HA, Barbosa AHP, Alves CMR, Caixeta AM, Gonçalves I, Moraes PIM, Lopes RD, Paola AAV, Almeida D, Moises VA, Fonseca FAH. Accuracy of Post-thrombolysis ST-segment Reduction as an Adequate Reperfusion Predictor in the Pharmaco-Invasive Approach. Arq Bras Cardiol 2021 Jul;117(1):15-25. PM: 34320062.

Biegus J, Zymliński R, Fudim M, Testani J, Sokolski M, Marciniak D, Ponikowska B, Guzik M, Garus M, Urban S, Ponikowski P. Spot urine sodium in acute heart failure: differences in prognostic value on admission and discharge. ESC Heart Fail 2021 Aug;8(4):2597-2602. PM: 33932273.

Califf RM. A Perspective on the K-Index. JACC Case Rep 2020 Feb 5;2(2):335-336. PM: 34317237.

Coniglio AC, Agarwal R, Schroder JN, Mentz RJ, Milano CA, DeVore AD, Patel CB. A Case for Re-Gifting. JACC Case Rep 2021 Jun 2;3(7):1010-1012. PM: 34317674.

Friede KA, Wegermann ZK, Rao SV. Navigation of a Dormant AV Fistula for PCI in a Patient With High-Risk NSTEMI. JACC Case Rep 2020 Aug 5;2(11):1671-1674. PM: 34317031.

Gold ME, Nanna MG, Doerfler SM, Schibler T, Wojdyla D, Peterson ED, Navar AM. Prevalence, treatment, and control of severe hyperlipidemia. Am J Prev Cardiol 2020 Aug 13;3:100079. PM: 34327462.

Hertz JT, Madut DB, Rubach MP, William G, Crump JA, Galson SW, Maro VP, Bloomfield GS, Limkakeng AT, Temu G, Thielman NM, Sakita FM. Incidence of Acute Myocardial Infarction in Northern Tanzania: A Modeling Approach Within a Prospective Observational Study. J Am Heart Assoc 2021 Aug 3;10(15):e021004. PM: 34320841.

Jackson LR, Jackson KP, Thomas KL. Percutaneous left atrial appendage occlusion: A review of current devices, clinical evidence, patient selection, and post procedural antithrombotic management. Prog Cardiovasc Dis May-Jun 2021;66:92-100. PM: 34332665.

Jorbenadze A, Fudim M, Mahfoud F, Adamson PB, Bekfani T, Wachter R, Sievert H, Ponikowski PP, Cleland JGF, Anker SD. Extra-cardiac targets in the management of cardiometabolic disease: Device-based therapies. ESC Heart Fail 2021 Aug;8(4):3327-3338. PM: 34002946.

Kamp NJ, Chery G, Kosinski AS, Desai MY, Wazni O, Schmidler GS, Patel M, Lopes RD, Morin DP, Al-Khatib SM. Risk stratification using late gadolinium enhancement on cardiac magnetic resonance imaging in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Prog Cardiovasc Dis May-Jun 2021;66:10-16. PM: 33171204.

Loungani RS, Sekar S, Rehorn MR, Black-Maier E, Vemulapalli S, Shah SH, Harrison RW. Cardiac Arrest in the Setting of Diffuse Coronary Ectasia: Perspectives on a Unique Ischemic Insult. JACC Case Rep 2020 Sep 15;2(11):1662-1666. PM: 34317029.

Mehta NN, Dey AK, Maddineni R, Kraus WE, Huffman KM. GlycA measured by NMR spectroscopy is associated with disease activity and cardiovascular disease risk in chronic inflammatory diseases. Am J Prev Cardiol 2020 Nov 7;4:100120. PM: 34327480.

Mercado-Alamo A, Singh H, Rosman H, Mehta R, Lalonde T, Kaki A. Unmasking Severe Tricuspid Valve Regurgitation After Percutaneous Debulking of Large Tricuspid Vegetation. JACC Case Rep 2020 Jul 22;3(5):818-822. PM: 34317633.

Morin DP, Al-Khatib SM. Emerging topics in electrophysiology. Prog Cardiovasc Dis May-Jun 2021;66:1. PM: 34332659.

Nayor M, Shah SH, Murthy V, Shah RV. Molecular Aspects of Lifestyle and Environmental Effects in Patients With Diabetes: JACC Focus Seminar. J Am Coll Cardiol 2021 Aug 3;78(5):481-495. PM: 34325838.

Nicolau JC, Feitosa Filho GS, Petriz JL, Furtado RHM, Précoma DB, Lemke W, Lopes RD, Timerman A, Marin Neto JA, Bezerra Neto L, Gomes BFO, Santos ECL, Piegas LS, Soeiro AM, Negri AJA, Franci A, Markman Filho B, Baccaro BM, Montenegro CEL, Rochitte CE, et al. Brazilian Society of Cardiology Guidelines on Unstable Angina and Acute Myocardial Infarction without ST-Segment Elevation – 2021. Arq Bras Cardiol 2021 Jul;117(1):181-264. PM: 34320090.

Piccini JP, Carrillo RG. Attempted lead extraction in low-risk patients without surgical backup: Progress or peril? Heart Rhythm 2021 Aug;18(8):1279-1280. PM: 34023502.

Rao VN, Fudim M, Griffin A, Rymer JA, Jones WS, Koweek LMH, Smith TP, Marin D, DeVore AD. Lawn Mower Versus Left Ventricular Assist Device: A Case of Traumatic Coronary Injury. JACC Case Rep 2020 Mar 18;2(3):406-410. PM: 34317252.

Rehorn MR, Black-Maier E, Loungani R, Sen S, Sun AY, Friedman DJ, Koontz JI, Schroder JN, Milano CA, Khouri MG, Katz JN, Patel CB, Pokorney SD, Daubert JP, Piccini JP. Electrical storm in patients with left ventricular assist devices: Risk factors, incidence, and impact on survival. Heart Rhythm 2021 Aug;18(8):1263-1271. PM: 33839327.

Roth CJ, Clunie DA, Vining DJ, Berkowitz SJ, Berlin A, Bissonnette JP, Clark SD, Cornish TC, Eid M, Gaskin CM, Goel AK, Jacobs GC, Kwan D, Luviano DM, McBee MP, Miller K, Hafiz AM, Obcemea C, Parwani AV, Rotemberg V, Silver EL, Storm ES, Tcheng JE, et al. Multispecialty Enterprise Imaging Workgroup Consensus on Interactive Multimedia Reporting Current State and Road to the Future: HIMSS-SIIM Collaborative White Paper. J Digit Imaging 2021 Jun;34(3):495-522. PM: 34131793.

Sayeed S, Califf R, Green R, Wong C, Mahaffey K, Gambhir SS, Mega J, Patrick-Lake B, Frazier K, Pignone M, Hernandez A, Shah SH, Fan AC, Krüg S, Shaack T, Shore S, Spielman S, Eckstrand J, Wong CA. Return of individual research results: What do participants prefer and expect? PLoS One 2021 Jul 29;16(7):e0254153. PM: 34324495.

Shah KS, Fudim M. Stress Remains in the Eye of the Beholder. JACC Case Rep 2020 Feb 5;2(2):294-295. PM: 34317226.

Sharma A, Greene S, Vaduganathan M, Fudim M, Ambrosy AP, Sun JL, McNulty SE, Hernandez AF, Borlaug BA, Velazquez EJ, Mentz RJ, DeVore AD, Alhanti B, Margulies K, Felker GM. Growth differentiation factor-15, treatment with liraglutide, and clinical outcomes among patients with heart failure. ESC Heart Fail 2021 Aug;8(4):2608-2616. PM: 34061470.

Sharma A, Ofstad AP, Ahmad T, Zinman B, Zwiener I, Fitchett D, Wanner C, George JT, Hantel S, Desai N, Mentz RJ. Patient Phenotypes and SGLT-2 Inhibition in Type 2 Diabetes: Insights From the EMPA-REG OUTCOME Trial. JACC Heart Fail 2021 Aug;9(8):568-577. PM: 34325887.

Shen L, Jhund PS, Anand IS, Carson PE, Desai AS, Granger CB, Køber L, Komajda M, McKelvie RS, Pfeffer MA, Solomon SD, Swedberg K, Zile MR, McMurray JJV. Developing and validating models to predict sudden death and pump failure death in patients with heart failure and preserved ejection fraction. Clin Res Cardiol 2021 Aug;110(8):1234-1248. PM: 33301080.

Thomas M, Khariton Y, Fonarow GC, Arnold SV, Hill L, Nassif ME, Chan PS, Butler J, Thomas L, DeVore AD, Hernandez AF, Albert NM, Patterson JH, Williams FB, Spertus JA. Association between sacubitril/valsartan initiation and real-world health status trajectories over 18 months in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction. ESC Heart Fail 2021 Aug;8(4):2670-2678. PM: 33932120.

Ugowe FE, Hellkamp AS, Wang A, Becker RC, Berkowitz SD, Breithardt G, Fox KAA, Halperin JL, Hankey GJ, Mahaffey KW, Nessel CC, Singer DE, Patel MR, Piccini JP. Pharmacotherapy for diabetes and stroke risk: Results from ROCKET AF. Heart Rhythm O2 2021 Apr 20;2(3):215-222. PM: 34337571.

Division of Cardiology Publications Indexed in PubMed August 5-11, 2021

Bradley SM, Kaltenbach LA, Xiang K, Amin AP, Hess PL, Maddox TM, Poulose A, Brilakis ES, Sorajja P, Ho PM, Rao SV. Trends in Use and Outcomes of Same-Day Discharge Following Elective Percutaneous Coronary Intervention. JACC Cardiovasc Interv 2021;14(15):1655-1666. PM: 34353597.

Carnicelli AP, Lippmann SJ, Greene SJ, Mentz RJ, Greiner MA, Hardy NC, Hammill BG, Shen X, Yancy CW, Peterson PN, Allen LA, Fonarow GC, O’Brien EC. Sacubitril/Valsartan Initiation and Postdischarge Adherence Among Patients Hospitalized for Heart Failure. J Card Fail 2021;27(8):826-836. PM: 34364659.

Chew DS, Mark DB. Dapagliflozin-Does Cost Make 4-Pillar Heart Failure Therapy Too Herculean a Labor for Medicine? JAMA Cardiol 2021;6(8):875-876. PM: 34037664.

Chow C, Greene SJ, North R, Blumer V, Truby LK, Alhanti B, Butler J, Ezekowitz JA, Starling RC, Mentz RJ. Sex-Differences in Cause of Death for Patients Hospitalized for Heart Failure With Reduced Versus Preserved Ejection Fraction (from the ASCEND-HF Trial). Am J Cardiol 2021;154:123-126. PM: 34284862.

Guimarães PO, de Souza FR, Lopes RD, Bittar C, Cardozo FA, Caramelli B, Calderaro D, Albuquerque CP, Drager LF, Feres F, Baracioli L, Feitosa Filho G, Barbosa RR, Ribeiro HB, Ribeiro E, Alves RJ, Soeiro A, Faillace B, Figueiredo E, Damiani LP, do Val RM, Huemer N, Nicolai LG, Hajjar LA, Abizaid A, Kalil Filho R. High risk coronavirus disease 2019: The primary results of the CoronaHeart multi-center cohort study. Int J Cardiol Heart Vasc 2021;36:100853. PM: 34345648.

Lala A, Mentz RJ. Language Matters: Understanding Barriers to Medication Adherence to Better Tailor Heart Failure Care. J Card Fail 2021;27(8):825. PM: 34364658.

Naidu SS, Abbott JD, Bagai J, Blankenship J, Garcia S, Iqbal SN, Kaul P, Khuddus MA, Kirkwood L, Manoukian SV, Patel MR, Skelding K, Slotwiner D, Swaminathan RV, Welt FG, Kolansky DM. SCAI expert consensus update on best practices in the cardiac catheterization laboratory: This statement was endorsed by the American College of Cardiology (ACC), the American Heart Association (AHA), and the Heart Rhythm Society (HRS) in April 2021. Catheter Cardiovasc Interv 2021;98(2):255-276. PM: 33909349.

Rizik DG, Rao SV, Stone GW, Burke RF, Hermiller JB, O’Neill WW. Re-instituting a live cardiology meeting without symptomatic COVID-19 transmission. Catheter Cardiovasc Interv 2021;98(2):295-296. PM: 33984174.

Romano S, Dell’atti D, Judd RM, Kim RJ, Weinsaft JW, Kim J, Heitner JF, Hahn RT, Farzaneh-Far A. Prognostic Value of Feature-Tracking Right Ventricular Longitudinal Strain in Severe Functional Tricuspid Regurgitation: A Multicenter Study. JACC Cardiovasc Imaging 2021;14(8):1561-1568. PM: 33865769.

Sperber NR, Dong OM, Roberts MC, Dexter P, Elsey AR, Ginsburg GS, Horowitz CR, Johnson JA, Levy KD, Ong H, Peterson JF, Pollin TI, Rakhra-Burris T, Ramos MA, Skaar T, Orlando LA. Strategies to Integrate Genomic Medicine into Clinical Care: Evidence from the IGNITE Network. J Pers Med 2021;11(7):647. PM: 34357114.

Thompson PD, Baggish AL, Blaha MJ, Brawner CA, Eickhoff-Shemek JM, Hunt TN, Kraus WE. Increasing the Availability of Automated External Defibrillators at Sporting Events: A Call to Action from the American College of Sports Medicine. Curr Sports Med Rep 2021;20(8):418-419. PM: 34357888.

Truby LK, Regan JA, Giamberardino SN, Ilkayeva O, Bain J, Newgard CB, O’Connor CM, Felker GM, Kraus WE, McGarrah RW, Shah SH. Circulating long chain acylcarnitines and outcomes in diabetic heart failure: an HF-ACTION clinical trial substudy. Cardiovasc Diabetol 2021;20(1):161. PM: 34344360.

Vatterott P, De Kock A, Hammill EF, Lewis R. Strategies to increase the INGEVITY lead strength during lead extraction procedures based on laboratory bench testing. Pacing Clin Electrophysiol 2021;44(8):1320-1330. PM: 34184293.

Wen J, Xie M, Rowland B, Rosen JD, Sun Q, Chen J, Tapia AL, Qian H, Kowalski MH, Shan Y, Young KL, Graff M, Argos M, Avery CL, Bien SA, Buyske S, Yin J, Choquet H, Fornage M, Hodonsky CJ, Jorgenson E, Kooperberg C, Loos RJF, Liu Y, Moon JY, North KE, Rich SS, Rotter JI, Smith JA, Zhao W, Shang L, Wang T, Zhou X, Reiner AP, Raffield LM, Li Y. Transcriptome-Wide Association Study of Blood Cell Traits in African Ancestry and Hispanic/Latino Populations. Genes (Basel) 2021;12(7):1049. PM: 34356065.

Duke Heart Week ending August 1st 2021

August 1, 2021 / Leave a comment

Highlights of the week:

Blumer Named Recipient of Mario Foundation Award

Vanessa Blumer, MD, a third-year cardiology fellow, has been selected by the review committee for the Mario Family Foundation as the 2021 recipient of the Mario Family Foundation Award for her research proposal, “Predictors of Clinical and Hemodynamic Response to Intra Aortic Balloon Pump Therapy Across Cardiogenic Shock Phenotypes.”

Blumer will be awarded $35,000 for her project for the duration of one year, retroactively starting July 1.

“Vanessa continues the tradition of Duke cardiology fellows who are true triple threats, excelling not only at clinical care, but leveraging their clinical experience to ask research questions that are critical to fill our knowledge gap in,” said Tracy Wang, MD, professor of medicine in cardiology and Blumer’s primary mentor on the project. “It’s also what makes being a faculty member at Duke so special: being able to mentor such remarkable individuals and watch their career take off into the stratosphere.”

The award announcement was made earlier this week by Kathleen A. Cooney, MD, the George Barth Geller Distinguished Professor of Medicine and chair, Department of Medicine.

Given annually to a physician-in-training within any of the divisions in the Duke Department of Medicine, the award has been made available thanks to the generosity of the Mario Family Foundation. Ernest Mario, PhD, launched the foundation in 1997. Mario served on the Duke Board of Trustees, and was chairman of the Duke University Health System board of directors. He was named Trustee Emeritus of Duke University in 2007, and is the second longest serving trustee in the school’s history. He was awarded The University Medal in 2009, Duke’s highest recognition of service to the school.

Congratulations, Vanessa!

Rao Receives NIH/NHLBI Loan Repayment Program Award

Vishal Rao, MD, a fellow in our Advanced Training in Cardiology Fellowship program, has been selected as a recipient of the National Institutes of Health/National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NIH/NHLBI) Loan Repayment Program Award. His selected proposal is for a project titled “Regional Adiposity and Risk of Heart Failure and Mortality.”

The NIH Loan Repayment Programs (LRPs) are a set of programs established by Congress and designed to recruit and retain highly qualified health professionals into biomedical or biobehavioral research careers.

The escalating costs of advanced education and training in medicine and clinical specialties are forcing some scientists to abandon their research careers for higher-paying private industry or private practice careers. The LRPs counteract that financial pressure by repaying up to $50,000 annually of a researcher’s qualified educational debt in return for a commitment to engage in NIH mission-relevant research.

Congratulations, Vishal!

Friede Selected as AHA GPM Finalist

Kevin Friede, MD, a fellow in our Interventional Cardiology Fellowship program, has been selected by the American Heart Association’s (AHA) Council on Genomic and Precision Medicine (GPM) Circulation: Genomic and Precision Medicine as a finalist for the 2021 Genomic and Precision Medicine Early Career Investigator Award Competition.

Friede, who has completed a two-year postdoctoral research fellowship in the Duke Center for Applied Genomics and Precision Medicine, will present his abstract, “A Gene Expression Signature Reflective Of Exposure To Antiplatelet Therapy Is Associated With Bleeding” during the Genomic and Precision Medicine Early Career Investigator Award Competition session at the upcoming AHA Scientific Sessions scheduled for November 13-15, 2021, in Boston, MA.

Ashley Named Nurse Manager Operations for 6 East DMP, Effective August 2^nd

Duke Heart is pleased to announce that Ciarra Ashley, BSN, RN, PCCN will become Nurse Manager Operations for Duke University Hospital’s Cardiothoracic Surgical Stepdown Unit 6 East effective Monday, August 2. Ciarra earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2011. Ciarra joined the Duke Heart Team in 2012 as a staff nurse on 3300 before assisting with the opening of 6 East and has served as Clinical Lead for 6 East DMP since 2018. Ciarra has held a variety of roles during her time at Duke. She has advanced the clinical ladder by becoming a CNIV and has continued to mentor other nurses throughout Duke Hospital by becoming a Clinical Ladder Advisor. She is also a member of DUHS Clinical Practice Council and has done many team building and leadership activities throughout the Heart Center. She is also active in the community through various outreach projects.

Please join us in congratulating and welcoming Ciarra to her new role!

Botzenhart Named Nurse Manager DUH 3100, Effective August 2^nd

Duke Heart is pleased to announce that Lindsay Botzenhart, BSN, RN, PCCN, CNIV will become Nurse Manager for Duke University Hospital’s Cardiothoracic Surgical Stepdown Unit 3100 effective Monday, August 2. Lindsay earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Liberty University in 2010. Lindsay joined the Duke Heart team in 2012 as a staff nurse on 3300 and prior to that time, worked as a nurse at Duke Regional Hospital for 2 years. She has served as Clinical Lead for the DUH Cardiothoracic Surgical Stepdown Unit 3300 since 2015. During her time at Duke, Lindsay has been involved in multiple Heart Center initiatives including LVAD education and site visits and DUHS Heart Core classes. She currently serves on the Duke Health System Inpatient Nursing Improvement committee, Friends of Nursing award selection committee, and DUH based Responsiveness/Purposeful Rounding pilot group.

Please join us in congratulating and welcoming Lindsay to her new role!

Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship Program Featured in Magnify

Duke Cardiology fellow Dr. Karen Flores Rosario rounding with her team and nurses in the CICU at the DMP.

An article about the important work to increase representation and diversity in our cardiovascular disease fellowship program was published this week in Magnify, the Duke University School of Medicine’s online news magazine. Getting to the Heart of Inclusion, which features Jennifer Rymer, Anna Lisa Crowley, Pam Douglas, and Manesh Patel was written by Duke Heart’s communications director, Tracey Koepke. To read it, please visit: http://duke.is/U7XSH5

ICYMI: Ohman Guest on Heart-to-Heart

Magnus Ohman was the featured guest on Sirius-XM radio’s Heart-to-Heart program on Wednesday, July 28. Heart-to-Heart is hosted by Fred Feit, MD, professor of medicine and interventional cardiologist at NYU School of Medicine. The topic was chronic angina.

PAs Present Smartphrase Results at AAPA

Jordan Hausladen (PA-C) and Todd McVeigh (PA-C) presented a virtual poster session during the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) National Conference in May 2021. With the guidance of Drs. Andrew Wang and Manesh Patel, the pair of APPs implemented a Smartphrase into cardiology discharge summaries (and a smart-text in EPIC available to non-cardiology teams) that would allow providers to more accurately interpret and diagnose patients who have non-ischemic troponin elevations. Data were examined three months before and after intervention, showing that use of the Smartphrase successfully reduced hospital-wide and cardiology-teams’ 30-day MI readmission rates.

Congratulations, Jordan and Todd – great work!

Co-workers Celebrate Upcoming Birth

Several of our Duke Heart team members gathered recently to celebrate the upcoming birth of Baby Williams. Shown L to R: Laura Dickerson, Elizabeth Watts, Kasey Williams, Ashley Barba, and Stephanie Barnes.

REMINDER: Change Passwords to Comply with New Policy

Duke Health users and sponsored guests must update passwords as soon as possible, but will not be required to change passwords in the future – unless you want to update it or your password is compromised.

The new password policy removes the requirement to update passwords every 180 days and requires passwords to be at least 12 characters (special characters and numbers are no longer required); however, including special characters creates a stronger password. In addition, the option to update passwords using CTRL+ALT+DEL is no longer available.

Team members can update their passwords now, but will receive a notice from DHTS via email that requires passwords to be changed by a deadline. Please visit the OIT Account Self Service Portal and create a new NetID password that doesn’t expire.

Tip: If working remotely (at a non-Duke site) users should connect to the Duke Virtual Private Network (VPN) before updating passwords (see page 29 of the Technology Toolkit for more information about the VPN). Passwords can be updated without connecting to the VPN, but passwords are synced across all your Duke log-ins faster if connected to the VPN.

Visit https://security.duke.edu/news-alerts/new-password-policy to review the password policy FAQ.

Attention Omnicell Users

Due to Omnicell’s password policy, Duke Health employees that use Omnicell, with the exception of Duke Raleigh Hospital employees, must keep passwords to 15 characters or less; Duke Raleigh Hospital employees must keep passwords to a maximum of 30 characters.

We are working with Omnicell to upgrade their password policy to remove restrictions across Duke Health. Check the password policy information page for updates.

Contact the Duke Health Service Desk at (919) 684-2243 for technical support.

If you have not yet updated your passcode to fit this policy, please do so as soon as possible. Thank you!

Have news to share?

Duke Heart in the News:

July 22 — Jacob Schroder and Carmelo Milano

YouTube/RT en Espanol

Cirujanos implantan el primer corazón artificial de EE.UU

http://duke.is/znqJsd

July 23 — Christopher Granger

Medscape

CLARIFY Confirms Meds, Watchful Waiting in Angina, Stable CAD

http://duke.is/QxnJK1

July 25 — Carmelo Milano

Tech Times

CARMAT Artificial Heart Prosthetic Implant Successful in 39-Year Old, First-Ever US Patient

http://duke.is/qPMZXb

July 26 — Kevin Thomas

Renal & Urology News

Catheter Ablation Improves A-Fib Outcomes in Racial/Ethnic Minorities

http://duke.is/Nx9cNp

July 27 — E. Magnus Ohman

Medscape

Are You at Legal Risk for Speaking at Conferences?

https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/955454

July 27 — Adam DeVore

HCPLive

No Benefit Shown In Quality Improvement Intervention For Patients with HFrEF

http://duke.is/LmTFVn

July 28 — Mollie Kettle

STAT

‘There is a real cost’: As Covid shows, barring bedside visitors from ICU deprives patients of the best care

http://duke.is/GU7YAw

July 28 — Manesh Patel and Schuyler Jones

HCPLive

1: Schuyler Jones, MD: CAD/PAD: Identifying Risk & Summary of Recent Clinical Trials

http://duke.is/4ZYcw9

July 28 — Laine Thomas (Biostatistics & Bioinformatics)

Medically Prime

SGLT2 Inhibitor Adds Years of Life to Patients With Heart Failure

http://duke.is/t6s2Fz

The Pulse – Powered by Duke Heart

Yearly Archives: 2021

Recent Posts

Recent Comments

Archives

Categories

Meta

Duke Heart week ending October 10th 2021

Duke Heart Pulse week ending October 3rd 2021

Duke Heart Pulse week ending September 26th 2021

Duke Heart Pulse week ending September 19th 2021

Duke Heart Pulse Week ending September 12th 2021

Duke Heart Week Ending 9-5-2021

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

Duke Heart Week Ending August 29th 2021

Duke Heart Week Ending August 22nd 2021

Duke Heart Week Ending August 15th 2021

Duke Heart Week ending August 1st 2021

Post navigation