Highlights of the week:

Milano, Ward to Receive Distinguished Palumbo Award

We are thrilled to share that two Duke Heart faculty members have been selected to receive the 2022 Leonard Palumbo Jr., MD Faculty Achievement Award.

Cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon Carmelo Milano, MD, and cardiologist Cary Ward, MD, were selected by a committee of Duke faculty members.

According to a message from Ann Brown, MD, MHS, vice dean for faculty, Duke University School of Medicine, “The committee found this year’s nominees exceptionally impressive, making it extremely difficult to select one recipient for this award.”

The Palumbo award honors a faculty member who displays both a dedication to compassionate patient care and excellence in the teaching and mentoring of young physicians.

The award is named for Dr. Leonard Palumbo Jr., who completed his undergraduate and medical degrees, as well as his clinical training, here at Duke. Dr. Palumbo was a compassionate and empathetic clinician and a dedicated and talented educator. His commitment to both patients and students inspired the establishment of this award in 1999 by his brother, also a Duke alumnus, Art Palumbo.

Milano and Ward will be presented the awards at the upcoming annual School of Medicine Spring Faculty Celebration currently planned as an in-person event on Tuesday, May 10, at 5 p.m. at the Sarah Duke Gardens.

We will share more information as it becomes available. We are so pleased for Cary and Carmelo! Congratulations!

Please Join Us at ACC.22 – We will be watching the Final Four Game at the Reception….

Saturday April 2nd 5:30-8:30 PM RedBud Room Renaissance Hotel Washington DC

 

Scientific Presence at American College of Cardiology 2022.  Cardiology Faculty and Fellows will have several presentations at the upcoming meeting and we will update those in the upcoming week.

Celebrating Heart Units 7100 and 6E – CLABSI Free Day Milestones!

Duke University Hospital Unit 7100 has gone more than 700 days since having a Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infection (CLABSI) attributed to one of their patients. Pictured here are the 7100 Hospital Acquired Infection (HAI) Champion, Amanda Burke with her co-worker Ann Keiper and (second photo) Lisa Duncan, 7100 Nurse Manager, with unit team members.

Similarly, Duke Medical Pavilion 6 East has gone more than 800 days since having a CLABSI attributed to one of their patients. Pictured here are the 6 East HAI Champions, Jose Kaminski and Mutya Valente and (second photo) the 6 East Nurse Manager, Ciarra Ashley and unit team members.

Way to go, Duke Heart units! Keep up the great work!

 

Duke Heart Grows by One

Congratulations to Fran Cosgrove Reda, one of our amazing cardiology NPs, and Jonathan Reda on the birth of their daughter, Kay Lennon Reda, born March 12. Mom and baby are doing well. We are thrilled for Fran and her family – welcome to the Duke Heart family, Kay. We are excited to meet you!

 

COVID-19 Updates

All the latest Clinical Operations updates related to COVID can be found at https://covid-19.dukehealth.org.

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

 

Marfan NC Walk for Victory, April 23

The North Carolina Walk for Victory to support Marfan patients and their families will take place on Saturday, April 23, 2022 from Noon to 3 p.m. at Laurel Hills Park on Edwards Mill Road in Raleigh. Duke Heart is proud to serve as the presenting sponsor and we are excited for Chad Hughes, MD to serve as medical chair for the walk.

Please help us support all Marfan families as well as those with Loeys-Dietz (LDS), Vascular Ehlers-Danlos (VEDS), and related conditions. Donate or come join us!

Walk for Victory is The Marfan Foundation’s global walk program. The event is low-key, fun and family-oriented. To learn more or to register for this event, please visit: https://give.marfan.org/event/2022-north-carolina-walk-for-victory/e353032.

To learn more about The Marfan Foundation, please visit marfan.org.

Duke Heart CME

April 23: Duke Sports Cardiology & Sudden Death in Athletes Symposium with course directors Jim Daubert and Bill Kraus. Virtual. For information or to register, contact Christy Darnell christy.darnell@duke.edu or 919-880-8686.

 

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. Submissions by Noon, Wednesdays, to be considered for weekend inclusion.

 

Duke Heart in the News will resume coverage next weekend

Highlights of the week:

Swaminathan Elected to SCAI’s Board of Trustees

Congratulations to Raj Swaminathan! We learned this week that Swaminathan has been elected to the Board of Trustees for the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI), the international professional society for interventional cardiology. The SCAI Board of Trustees is responsible for furthering SCAI’s mission and for setting its long-term priorities and goals. The Board establishes and oversees the strategic plan and all related activities.

Well-deserved, Raj!

Cardiology is the Family Business for Kelsey Mother-Daughter Duo

The weekly Kelsey family meal—lunch at Duke Cardiology Arringdon Clinic—is a time to catch up for Duke cardiology fellow Michelle Kelsey, MD, and her cardiologist Mom, Anita Kelsey, MD, MBA, professor of medicine.

Michelle likes to bring the meal each Thursday when she’s working at the Morrisville, NC, clinic as part of her research fellowship at the Duke Clinical Research Institute where she is working toward a master’s degree in health science. It’s just one of the ways she makes it a point to show support and appreciation for Mom.

“She knows how much I love taking care of patients and she has respected all of the things that I was doing that take away from family time so, to her credit, Michelle made my life a lot easier,” Anita says. “A doctor cannot be successful if their family is not supportive.”

Growing up as the child of a physician, Michelle understands that traditional family time often has to take a back seat to duty. It’s just one of the lessons she learned from Mom.

The Family Business

“When I started medical school, I wanted to do something different but I realized that cardiology was the most fun, and I saw how much enjoyment my mom had and how satisfying it was for her,” Michelle says. “That was part of what moved me into the profession.”

But the really cool thing, she adds, is they are the only mother-daughter legacy in cardiology to have gone through the same training program. “There are other mother-daughter academic cardiologists but they trained in separate places, and there are father-son legacies, but no mother-daughter that we know of,” says Anita.

Cardiology, the Kelseys are fond of saying, is the family business,

Having a cardiologist mother as a role model helped shape Michelle’s perceptions about women in the workplace, she explains. So, being a female cardiologist was nothing really out of the ordinary because Anita made it look easy.

But while women are no longer a minority in medicine, they still very much need the support of others, Anita and Michelle note.

“Women need someone to set the norms for what women can do,” says Anita. “Even in leadership positions women aren’t heard as well as men. We need to support each other when we’re in these settings because we haven’t broken through the glass ceiling, despite what everybody says. We still have a long way to go, I think.”

Footsteps to Follow

Following in the footsteps of her engineer father and brothers, Anita Kelsey majored in biomedical engineering at Duke as an undergraduate.  She earned her medical degree at the University of Connecticut and did her residency there before returning to Duke as a cardiology fellow from 1995 to 1998.

Anita went back to Connecticut, where her clinical career focused on echocardiography, education, heart disease in women, and leadership. She served as associate chief of cardiology at Saint Francis Hospital in Hartford, where she began a women’s heart program that has reached 11,000 women with special focus on the highest-risk, underserved, inner-city women.

Anita again returned to Duke in 2019 as vice chief of noninvasive cardiac imaging and earned a master’s degree in business administration through Duke’s executive weekend program. She attributes her drive for excellence, in large part, to her own mother who returned to higher education later in life to earn an accounting degree and run the family engineering business.

“I certainly had a great role model,” Anita says. “Duke engineering was very sparse with women in the 80s, when I was an undergrad but it never bothered me. My mom always told me that whatever my brothers could do I could do better. I believed her, so that’s where I started.”

Like mother, like daughter, Michelle also attended Duke as an undergraduate. She majored in philosophy, then followed Anita to medical school at the University of Connecticut and did her residency at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Mass.

“My journey, watching my mom, reminds me that it’s so important to have women in this field that other women can look up to,” Michelle says. “Role models are so helpful for women in medicine.”

As for Anita, she has found a new source of enjoyment from her profession—watching Michelle’s professional growth. “I enjoy taking care of patients but I’ve enormously enjoyed watching my daughter enter the field of cardiology and seeing what she can do as a woman,” she says. “If I were somebody else, I would be impressed by her integrity, her work ethic, and how well she practices in medicine, but being her mother I’m enormously proud.”

–this article was published March 15 by the Duke Department of Medicine.

ICYMI: Bahnson Circulation Article & Podcast

The lead research article in Circulation for Monday, March 15, “Association Between Age and Outcomes of Catheter Ablation Versus Medical Therapy for Atrial Fibrillation: Results from the CABANA Trial is by Tristram Bahnson et al.

Bahnson was interviewed for an accompanying Circulation on the Run podcast (produced by AHA & Circulation) regarding the paper. Check it out here: https://circulation.libsyn.com/circulation-march-15-2022-issue

Nicely done!

 

Kudos to Flores-Rosario

Drs. Jennifer Rymer and Anna Lisa Chamis want to give a special shout-out to cardiology fellow Karen Flores Rosario, MD, who planned and organized the special Women’s Heart Health Grand Rounds held on Tuesday, March 15. Dr. Rymer notes that Dr. Flores Rosario, “literally planned the whole GR today. She picked the speakers of Drs. Rymer, Patterson, and Daubert, spoke with each of us regarding what she wanted to be discussed, followed up multiple times, and made sure it all came together. She has been really active in keeping the Women in Cardiology group going!”

Great job, Karen! CGR was terrific!

 

Kudos to Loriaux

Dr. Anna Lisa Chamis shared a note with us this week about cardiology fellow, Daniel Loriaux, MD.

“Hi Anna Lisa, I just wanted to say what a delight having Dan in clinic has been. He comes to literally every clinic with notes prepped, he knows the basics of my whole panel for that day, and he has questions jotted down. We end up having extra time to look up films and talk over patients, and it makes the clinic honestly so much fun for me. Patients remark how kind and respectful he is. I hope he knows how wonderful he is!” – Jenn Rymer

Way to go, Dan!

 

Finding Your Why

If you haven’t yet had an opportunity to do so, please check out this beautifully written piece by cardiology fellow, Vanessa Blumer, MD. It was published this week in the Journal of Cardiac Failure. “Michele — This is my why, now let’s find the way…”

Thank you for sharing your story, Vanessa. You’re an inspiring and gifted clinician!

 

Pitching In to Fight Hunger in Durham

Several members of our Cardiology APP team volunteered at The Food Bank of Central and Eastern NC this past week.

Shown L-to-R are Shelley Thompson, Michelle Martwick, Jade Clausen (holding a sweet potato that strongly resembled an anatomical heart), Faith Williams, and Jesslyn Doody.

Thank you so much for taking time to contribute to supporting a great cause. Way to represent Duke Heart!

 

Alumni News: Vora Selected for SCAI Leadership Program

Amit Vora, MD, one of our former interventional fellows, has been selected for the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) Emerging Leader Mentorship (ELM) program, a competitive two-year leadership development opportunity offered in partnership with the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF). ELM is designed to provide career and professional development, mentoring, and group training for early-career interventionalists. Through access to experienced SCAI, ACC, and CRF leaders, collaboration with industry supporters, and professional coaching, the ELM program will provide participants with:

• Financial and logistical support to attend SCAI, ACC, and TCT Scientific Sessions over a two-year period
• Speaking opportunities at SCAI, ACC, and TCT Scientific Sessions during the two-year program
• Focused one-on-one mentoring
• Enhance media, communication, and podium skills
• Committee involvement with the partner organizations based on individual interests
• A network of colleagues who serve as a resource of support throughout career
• Broad exposure to SCAI, CRF, and ACC
• Individualized professional development towards a clinical, research, or educational niche

This is terrific, Amit – congratulations!

 

Last Call! Voting for USNWR ‘Best Hospitals’ Open in Doximity

The survey period for U.S. News & World Report’s ‘Best Hospitals’ is open in Doximity through the end of the week: Friday, March 25. We encourage all those who are eligible to vote in the survey of “Best Hospitals for Cardiology and Heart Surgery” to consider casting a vote for Duke.

Reminder: paper surveys have been discontinued. The only way to vote in the survey is online via Doximity.

If you have not yet claimed your profile on this platform, you can do so at any time during the voting period.

• Go to com
• Enter your first and last name on the home screen
• Click on the ‘Find My Profile’ button

A survey will display in your profile until you vote or the survey closes on March 25, 2022.

 

COVID-19 Updates

All the latest Clinical Operations updates related to COVID can be found at https://covid-19.dukehealth.org.

 

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

 

Genomic & Precision Medicine Forum

March 24: “Molecular Signatures of the Response to Antiplatelet Therapy” with Deepak Voora, part of the Genomic & Precision Medicine Forum Series sponsored by the Center for Applied Genomics & Precision Medicine. Virtual event, Noon. Registration is required.

 

Marfan NC Walk for Victory

April 23: The North Carolina Walk for Victory to support Marfan patients and their families will take place on Saturday, April 23, 2022 from Noon to 3 p.m. at Laurel Hills Park on Edwards Mill Road in Raleigh. Duke Heart is proud to serve as the presenting sponsor and we are excited for Chad Hughes, MD to serve as medical chair for the walk.

Please help us support all Marfan families as well as those with Loeys-Dietz (LDS), Vascular Ehlers-Danlos (VEDS), and related conditions. Donate or come join us!

Walk for Victory is The Marfan Foundation’s global walk program. The event is low-key, fun and family-oriented. To learn more or to register for this event, please visit: https://give.marfan.org/event/2022-north-carolina-walk-for-victory/e353032.

To learn more about The Marfan Foundation, please visit marfan.org.

Duke Heart CME

April 23: Duke Sports Cardiology & Sudden Death in Athletes Symposium with course directors Jim Daubert and Bill Kraus. Virtual. For information or to register, contact Christy Darnell christy.darnell@duke.edu or 919-880-8686.

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. Submissions by Noon, Wednesdays, to be considered for weekend inclusion.

Duke Heart in the News:

March 11 — Muhammad Shahzeb Khan

tctMD

Guideline-Directed Therapies Underused in Frail HF Patients

https://duke.is/mk8nh

March 11 – Joe Turek

WLDS/WEAI (West central Illinois)

Petersburg Native On Cusp of Solving Organ Transplant Rejection

https://duke.is/8fk6k

March 11 — Manesh Patel and Christopher Granger

HCPLive

Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) Pathophysiology and Coronary Artery Disease

https://duke.is/cg6ze

March 11 – Joe Turek

Good Morning America

Baby gets first-of-its kind heart transplant to help fight rejection

https://duke.is/j2d8d

March 13 — Salim Idriss

Healio

Pediatric cardiac screening data warehouse created

https://duke.is/6p92q

March 14 — Joe Turek

Southern Living

Baby Receives World’s First Combined Heart and Thymus Transplant at Duke

https://duke.is/gaww8

March 15 — Daniel Friedman

tctMD

Subcutaneous ICD Has Favorable Outcomes in Older Patients

https://duke.is/pw64r

March 15 — Daniel Friedman

Healio/Cardiology Today

For older adults, similar outcomes for subcutaneous vs. transvenous ICDs

https://duke.is/43vdj

March 16 — Duke Health

WUNC 91.5 FM/NC Public Radio

VA considering closure, replacement of Durham medical center

https://duke.is/9quap

Division of Cardiology Publications Indexed in PubMed March 10-16, 2022

Bagiella E, Puskas JD, Moskowitz AJ, Gelijns AC, Alexander JH, Narula J, Smith PK, Hutcheson K, Chang HL, Gammie JS, Iribarne A, Marks ME, Vengrenyuk Y, Yasumura K, Raymond S, Taylor BS, Yarden O, Orion E, Dagenais F, Ailawadi G, Chu MWA, Gupta L, Levitan B. Rationale and design of a randomized trial evaluating an external support device for saphenous vein coronary grafts. Am Heart J 2022;246:12-20. PM: 34936861.

Bahnson TD, Giczewska A, Mark DB, Russo AM, Monahan KH, Al-Khalidi HR, Silverstein AP, Poole JE, Lee KL, Packer DL. Association Between Age and Outcomes of Catheter Ablation Versus Medical Therapy for Atrial Fibrillation: Results From the CABANA Trial. Circulation 2022;145(11):796-804. PM: 34933570.

Camm AJ, Blomström-Lundqvist C, Boriani G, Goette A, Kowey PR, Merino JL, Piccini JP, Saksena S, Reiffel JA. AIM-AF: A Physician Survey in the United States and Europe. J Am Heart Assoc 2022;11(6):e023838. PM: 35243874.

Chew DS, Cowper PA, Al-Khalidi H, Anstrom KJ, Daniels MR, Davidson-Ray L, Li Y, Michler RE, Panza JA, Piña IL, Rouleau JL, Velazquez EJ, Mark DB. Cost-Effectiveness of Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery Versus Medicine in Ischemic Cardiomyopathy: The STICH Randomized Clinical Trial. Circulation 2022;145(11):819-828. PM: 35044802.

Coniglio AC, Patel CB, Kittleson M, Schlendorf K, Schroder JN, DeVore AD. Innovations in Heart Transplantation: A Review. J Card Fail 2022;28(3):467-476. PM: 34752907.

Cooper LB, Bruce S, Psotka M, Mentz R, Bell R, Seliger SL, O’Connor C, deFilippi C. Proteomic differences among patients with heart failure taking furosemide or torsemide. Clin Cardiol 2022;45(3):265-272. PM: 35014074.

El-Chami MF, Piccini JP, Bockstedt L. Leadless Pacing-Uncertainties Remain About Safety and Efficacy-Reply. JAMA Cardiol 2022;7(3):361-362. PM: 35080586.

Fendrick AM, Djatche L, Pulungan Z, Teigland C, Yang M, Lautsch D, Hilkert R, Mentz R. Out-of-pocket payments for part d covered medications by medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction. Am Heart J 2022;246:74-81. PM: 34774543.

Fudim M, Khan MS, Paracha AA, Sunagawa K, Burkhoff D. Targeting Preload in Heart Failure: Splanchnic Nerve Blockade and Beyond. Circ Heart Fail 2022;15(3):e009340. PM: 35290092.

Greene SJ, Butler J, Hellkamp AS, Spertus JA, Vaduganathan M, Devore AD, Albert NM, Patterson JH, Thomas L, Williams FB, Hernandez AF, Fonarow GC. Comparative Effectiveness of Dosing of Medical Therapy for Heart Failure: From the CHAMP-HF Registry. J Card Fail 2022;28(3):370-384. PM: 34793971.

Han JK, Al-Khatib SM, Albert CM. Changes in the digital health landscape in cardiac electrophysiology: A pre-and peri-pandemic COVID-19 era survey. Cardiovasc Digit Health J 2020;2(1):55-62. PM: 35265890.

Ijaz SH, Jamal S, Minhas AMK, Sheikh AB, Nazir S, Khan MS, Minhas AS, Hays AG, Warraich HJ, Greene SJ, Fudim M, Honigberg MC, Khan SS, Paul TK, Michos ED. Trends in Characteristics and Outcomes of Peripartum Cardiomyopathy Hospitalizations in the United States Between 2004 and 2018. Am J Cardiol 2022;168:142-150. PM: 35074213.

Kandzari DE, Mahfoud F, Weber MA, Townsend R, Parati G, Fisher NDL, Lobo MD, Bloch M, Böhm M, Sharp ASP, Schmieder RE, Azizi M, Schlaich MP, Papademetriou V, Kirtane AJ, Daemen J, Pathak A, Ukena C, Lurz P, Grassi G, Myers M, Finn AV, Morice MC, Mehran R. Clinical Trial Design Principles and Outcomes Definitions for Device-Based Therapies for Hypertension: A Consensus Document From the Hypertension Academic Research Consortium. Circulation 2022;145(11):847-863. PM: 35286164.

Kaneko T, Vemulapalli S, Kohsaka S, Shimamura K, Stebbins A, Kumamaru H, Nelson AJ, Kosinski A, Maeda K, Bavaria JE, Saito S, Reardon MJ, Kuratani T, Popma JJ, Inohara T, Thourani VH, Carroll JD, Shimizu H, Takayama M, Leon MB, Mack MJ, Sawa Y. Practice Patterns and Outcomes of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement in the United States and Japan: A Report From Joint Data Harmonization Initiative of STS/ACC TVT and J-TVT. J Am Heart Assoc 2022;11(6):e023848. PM: 35243902.

Kelsey MD, Newby LK. In CV disease, GLP-1 RAs and SGLT2 inhibitors reduce CV mortality. Ann Intern Med 2022;175(3):JC26. PM: 35226528.

Lala A, Mentz RJ. #ConstructivelyDisruptive – Breaking Molds at JCF. J Card Fail 2022;28(3):351-352. PM: 35279266.

Lala A, Tayal U, Hamo CE, Youmans Q, Al-Khatib SM, Bozkurt B, Davis MB, Januzzi J, Mentz R, Sauer A, Walsh MN, Yancy C, Gulati M. Sex Differences in Heart Failure. J Card Fail 2022;28(3):477-498. PM: 34774749.

Lusk JB, Xu H, Thomas LE, Cohen LW, Hernandez AF, Forrest CB, Michtalik HJ, Turner KB, O’Brien EC, Barrett NJ. Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Healthcare Worker Experiences During the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Analysis of the HERO Registry. EClinicalMedicine 2022;45:101314. PM: 35265822.

Marston NA, Giugliano RP, Melloni GEM, Park JG, Morrill V, Blazing MA, Ference B, Stein E, Stroes ES, Braunwald E, Ellinor PT, Lubitz SA, Ruff CT, Sabatine MS. Association of Apolipoprotein B-Containing Lipoproteins and Risk of Myocardial Infarction in Individuals With and Without Atherosclerosis: Distinguishing Between Particle Concentration, Type, and Content. JAMA Cardiol 2022;7(3):250-256. PM: 34773460.

Oliveira Junior HA, Ferri CP, Boszczowski I, Oliveira GBF, Cavalcanti AB, Rosa RG, Lopes RD, Azevedo LCP, Veiga VC, Berwanger O, Avezum Á. Rationale and Design of the COVID-19 Outpatient Prevention Evaluation (COPE – Coalition V) Randomized Clinical Trial: Hydroxychloroquine vs. Placebo in Non-Hospitalized Patients. Arq Bras Cardiol 2022;118(2):378-387. PM: 35262569.

Patel KV, Keshvani N, Pandey A, Vaduganathan M, Holmes DN, Matsouaka RA, DeVore AD, Allen LA, Yancy CW, Fonarow GC. Association of readmission penalty amount with subsequent 30-day risk standardized readmission and mortality rates among patients hospitalized with heart failure: An analysis of get with the guidelines – heart failure participating centers. Am Heart J 2022;246:1-11. PM: 34973189.

Peterson BE, Harrington RA, Stone GW, Steg PG, Gibson CM, Hamm CW, Price MJ, Lopes RD, Leonardi S, Prats J, Deliargyris EN, Mahaffey KW, White HD, Bhatt DL. Effect of Platelet Inhibition by Cangrelor Among Obese Patients Undergoing Coronary Stenting: Insights From CHAMPION. Circ Cardiovasc Interv 2022;15(3):e011069. PM: 35196863.

Roifman I, Han L, Fang J, Chu A, Austin P, Ko DT, Douglas P, Wijeysundera H. Patient, physician and geographic predictors of cardiac stress testing strategy in Ontario, Canada: a population-based study. BMJ Open 2022;12(3):e059199. PM: 35273065.

Sharma A, Mahaffey KW, Gibson CM, Hicks KA, Alexander KP, Ali M, Chaitman BR, Held C, Hlatky M, Jones WS, Mehran R, Menon V, Rockhold FW, Seltzer J, Spitzer E, Wilson M, Lopes RD. Clinical events classification (CEC) in clinical trials: Report on the current landscape and future directions – proceedings from the CEC Summit 2018. Am Heart J 2022;246:93-104. PM: 34973948.

Varma N, Cygankiewicz I, Turakhia MP, Heidbuchel H, Hu Y, Chen LY, Couderc JP, Cronin EM, Estep JD, Grieten L, Lane DA, Mehra R, Page A, Passman R, Piccini JP, Piotrowicz E, Piotrowicz R, Platonov PG, Ribeiro AL, Rich RE, Russo AM, Slotwiner D, Steinberg. 2021 ISHNE/HRS/EHRA/APHRS Collaborative Statement on mHealth in Arrhythmia Management: Digital Medical Tools for Heart Rhythm Professionals: From the International Society for Holter and Noninvasive Electrocardiology/Heart Rhythm Society/European Heart Rhythm. Cardiovasc Digit Health J 2021;2(1):4-54. PM: 35265889.

Wan EY, Ghanbari H, Akoum N, Itzhak Attia Z, Asirvatham SJ, Chung EH, Dagher L, Al-Khatib SM, Stuart Mendenhall G, McManus DD, Pathak RK, Passman RS, Peters NS, Schwartzman DS, Svennberg E, Tarakji KG, Turakhia MP, Trela A, Yarmohammadi H, Marrouche NF. HRS White Paper on Clinical Utilization of Digital Health Technology. Cardiovasc Digit Health J 2021;2(4):196-211. PM: 35265910.

Wei S, Le N, Zhu JW, Breathett K, Greene SJ, Mamas MA, Zannad F, Van Spall HGC. Factors Associated With Racial and Ethnic Diversity Among Heart Failure Trial Participants: A Systematic Bibliometric Review. Circ Heart Fail 2022;15(3):e008685. PM: 34911363.

Windle JR, Windle TA, Shamavu KY, Nelson QM, Clarke MA, Fruhling AL, Tcheng JE. Roadmap to a more useful and usable electronic health record. Cardiovasc Digit Health J 2021;2(6):301-311. PM: 35265926.

Zhang L, Olalere D, Mayrhofer T, Bittner DO, Emami H, Meyersohn NM, Puchner SB, Abidov A, Moloo J, Dolor RJ, Mark DB, Ferencik M, Hoffmann U, Douglas PS, Lu MT. Differences in Cardiovascular Risk, Coronary Artery Disease, and Cardiac Events Between Black and White Individuals Enrolled in the PROMISE Trial. JAMA Cardiol 2022;7(3):259-267. PM: 34935857.

Highlights of the week:

Baby Receives World’s First Combination Heart Transplant/Thymus Procedure

Using processed thymus tissue from the heart donor could lower the risk of organ rejection

A baby believed to be the first person to receive a combination heart transplant and allogeneic processed thymus tissue implantation appears to be gaining the immune cells necessary to reduce or eliminate the need for prolonged use of toxic anti-rejection drugs.

The two procedures — performed at Duke University Hospital last summer under an expanded access application that was cleared by the FDA — represent a milestone in heart transplantation.

“This has the potential to change the face of solid organ transplantation in the future,” said Joseph W. Turek, MD, PhD, associate professor in the division of cardiovascular and thoracic surgery, section chief of pediatric cardiac surgery and a member of the surgical team that performed the landmark procedure.

“If this approach proves successful – and further validation is contemplated – it would mean transplant recipients would not reject the donated organ and they would also not need to undergo treatment with long-term immune-suppression medications, which can be highly toxic, particularly to the kidneys,” Turek said. “This concept of tolerance has always been the Holy Grail in transplantation, and we are now on the doorstep.”

Currently, transplanted hearts have an average lifespan of about 10 to 15 years. With durability limited by the toxicity of immune-suppression drugs, other options have long been sought.

The idea of using donated and processed thymus tissue during heart transplantation has been under study at Duke and other sites for several years. Because the thymus gland stimulates the development of T-cells, which fight foreign substances in the body, implanting the processed tissue is hoped to establish the donor’s immune system as the recipient’s, so the donated heart is recognized as “self.”

The approach has shown promise in animal experiments, including in Turek’s lab at Duke, but it had previously not been tried in a living organ recipient.

Duke researchers received permission from the FDA for the investigational procedures after two important factors lined up serendipitously – the youngster, Easton Sinnamon, needed both a heart transplant and processed thymus tissue implantation independent of one another, and he was a patient at Duke, where the processed thymus tissue implantation is solely available.

The processed thymus tissue implantation method, pioneered at Duke by Louise Markert, MD, uses a proprietary technique to culture and administer processed thymus tissue; the process has been licensed to Enzyvant Therapeutics GmbH. The company received FDA approval last fall for allogeneic processed thymus tissue-agdc, indicated for immune reconstitution in pediatric patients with congenital athymia, a rare condition in which children are born without a thymus. Enzyvant provided financial support for processing of the thymus tissue that was used in this research.

“We see tremendous promise in this technology for patients and we are working with urgency to advance research and development for all children in need of cardiac transplants,” said Rachelle Jacques, chief executive officer of Enzyvant.

For Easton, the first-in-human combination of procedures appears to be working.

Tests taken 172 days post-transplant/implantation indicate the processed thymus tissue is functioning, building the critical T-cells that are integral to a well-functioning immune system. Easton’s care team at Duke continues to monitor progress; another milestone is possible in several months when he could be tapered off anti-rejection drugs.

“Cases like this underscore how important new insights emerge when surgery and science are expertly practiced together,” said Allan D. Kirk, MD, PhD, chair of the Department of Surgery at Duke University School of Medicine. “This case has implications for more than just heart transplantation – it could change the way that many solid organ transplants are done in the future.

“The team performed the transplant and implant in a patient who lacked significant thymus function, providing an excellent opportunity to examine how allogeneic processed thymus tissue can shape a person’s immune system to be more receptive to a donor organ,” Kirk said. “If this can be extrapolated to patients who already have a functioning thymus, it could potentially allow them to restructure their immune systems to accept transplanted organs with substantially less dependence on anti-rejection medication. The processing method used for the thymus tissue seems to be critical and is of great interest.”

Born with severe heart defects as well as thymic deficiency from an unknown cause, which severely impaired his immune system, Easton received his transplant on Aug. 6, 2021, when he was 6 months old, followed two weeks later with the implantation of the cultured thymus tissue from his heart donor.

Easton recently celebrated his first birthday and continues to do well.

“It was one of those things where it could help him, and if it works, it not only helps him, but it could help thousands of other people as well with their children who need transplants,” said Easton’s mom, Kaitlyn Sinnamon. “When we talked about it, it was like ‘Why would we not do it when we can make a difference for all these other people?’”

During a media briefing held Monday, March 7, the Sinnamon’s were asked what message they hope their son grows up embracing. Kaitlyn responded, “I think my biggest thing is, especially with all the scars that he has, is that I hope he will just be proud of those and know that we did everything for what was the best decision for that moment.

“That he should be proud of those because it’s something that shows he was fighting for his life and he should be honored to let people know that that’s one thing that he did, and that he got to make a difference.”

We look forward to seeing Easton continue to do well, especially now that he can be home with his family. Congratulations to Joe and team – we are very excited about the work you’re doing, as well as the potential this treatment holds.

 

2022 Triangle Heart Ball Held

The American Heart Association’s Triangle Heart Ball was held Friday evening, March 11 at the Raleigh Convention Center. The event included a silent auction, live auction, dinner and fellowship with other area sponsors. Duke Heart is pleased to support the work of the AHA. We thank all who were able to join us.

 

Frazier to Serve as Nurse Manager DUH 7100, Effective March 28^th

Duke Heart is pleased to announce that Ashley Frazier, BSN, RN, CCRN will become nurse manager for Duke University Hospital’s Cardiology Stepdown Unit 7100 effective Monday, March 28^th.  Ashley earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Duke University School of Nursing in 2013. She was hired as a new graduate nurse in the Duke Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit in July, 2013 and has served as a nightshift Clinical Lead since August, 2017.

As a Clinical Lead, Ashley has been heavily involved with Duke Children’s safety and quality initiatives including pressure injury prevention, cardiac arrest prevention, and breast milk handling process improvement. At the Health System Level, Ashley participates in numerous Maestro Care work groups focusing on nursing documentation improvements. Additionally, Ashley is a Well-Being Ambassador, holds a Patient Safety Leadership certification, and has contributed to burnout reduction initiatives.  She currently serves on the Nursing Informatics Council, DUHS Cardiac Monitoring Subcommittee, and DUHS Nursing Quality Council.

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

 

Nesmith Receives High Five

Georgina Nesmith, RN, nursing program manager for the Duke Heart Center Communications team received a DUHS “High Five” on Tuesday, March 8. She was nominated by Carroll Enterkin, who wrote:

“In addition to teaching me how to make new patient appointments, Gina has advised me in ways to do my job to make it easier, all in such a calming voice. I have been so blessed to work in Heart Communications Center this past year. I feel the Lord blessed me so much with this job.”

Well-deserved, Georgina! Thank you for all you do. Carroll, we are pleased to have you on the Duke Heart team. We’re glad you’re here!

 

Voting for USNWR ‘Best Hospitals’ Open in Doximity

The survey period for U.S. News & World Report’s ‘Best Hospitals’ is open in Doximity through March 25. We encourage all those who are eligible to vote in the survey of “Best Hospitals for Cardiology and Heart Surgery” to consider casting a vote for Duke.

Reminder: paper surveys have been discontinued. The only way to vote in the survey is online via Doximity.

If you have not yet claimed your profile on this platform, you can do so at any time during the voting period.

• Go to com
• Enter your first and last name on the home screen
• Click on the ‘Find My Profile’ button

A survey will display in your profile until you vote or the survey closes on March 25, 2022.

 

COVID-19 Updates

All the latest Clinical Operations updates related to COVID can be found at https://covid-19.dukehealth.org.

 

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

Cardiology Grand Rounds

March 15: Coronary Artery Disease in Women with Jennifer Rymer; Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy with Melissa Daubert; and Cardio-Oncology in Women with Brandy Patterson. 5 p.m. via Webex.

 

Upcoming Duke Heart CME

April 23: Duke Sports Cardiology & Sudden Death in Athletes Symposium with course directors Jim Daubert and Bill Kraus. Virtual. For information or to register, contact Christy Darnell christy.darnell@duke.edu or 919-880-8686.

 

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. Submissions by Noon, Wednesdays, to be considered for weekend inclusion.

 

Duke Heart in the News:

March 4 — Neha Pagidipati

HCPLive

Neha Pagidipati, MD: New Approaches in Obesity Management

https://duke.is/jg96f

March 4 – Christopher Granger

HCPLive

Christopher Granger, MD: Integration, Value of SGLT2 Inhibitors in Practice

https://duke.is/rqvh6

March 7 – Joe Turek

Associated Press

Baby gets heart transplant with a twist to fight rejection

https://duke.is/c2vt9

*also carried by 421 additional outlets including ABC News, China Global Television Network, San Francisco Gate, Washington Post

*AP local outlets in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Gainesville, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Francisco

March 8 – Joe Turek

BBC News

‘World-first’ heart-thymus transplant success for Easton

https://duke.is/w4uxe

March 9 — Robert Mentz

Medpage Today

Exercise Intervention May Slow HF Progression Before Disease Takes Hold

https://duke.is/znusb

March 9 — Muhammed Shahzeb Khan

Healio/Cardiology

In HFrEF, therapy in patients with frailty often not optimized despite high risk

https://duke.is/m79vp

March 9 — Duke University (ADAPTABLE)

Clinical Research Forum

Clinical Research Forum Announces the 2022 Top Ten Clinical Research Achievement Awards

https://duke.is/8d68h

March 7-11 — Heart-Thymus News Coverage

As of March 11, news coverage for this story had been included in at least 675 individual outlets including national coverage by the Associated Press (AP), ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX affiliates, McClatchy papers, MSN & Yahoo News and international coverage by the BBC and WION (India). The majority of coverage was by AP affiliates.

Division of Cardiology Publications Indexed in PubMed March 3-9, 2022

Abraham WT, Piccini JP, Dufton C, Carroll IA, Healey JS, O’Connor CM, Marshall D, Aleong R, van Veldhuisen DJ, Rienstra M, Wilton SB, White M, Sauer WH, Anand IS, Huebler SP, Connolly SJ, Bristow MR. Dose-limiting, adverse event-associated bradycardia with β-blocker treatment of atrial fibrillation in the GENETIC-AF trial. Heart Rhythm O2. 2021;3(1):40-49. PM: 35243434.

Arnold SV, Manandhar P, Vemulapalli S, Vekstein AM, Kosinski AS, Spertus JA, Cohen DJ. Patient-reported vs. physician-estimated symptoms before and after transcatheter aortic valve replacement. Eur Heart J Qual Care Clin Outcomes. 2022;8(2):161-168. PM: 34718485.

Beck TP, Tsipis N, Kisslo JA, Rivera JD, Armour AC, Moon RE. Immersion-Induced Mitral Regurgitation: A Novel Risk Factor for Swimming-Induced Pulmonary Edema. Chest. 2022;161(3):e137-e143. PM: 35256086.

Bicong L, Allen JC, Arps K, Al-Khatib SM, Bahnson TD, Daubert JP, Frazier-Mills C, Hegland DD, Jackson KP, Jackson LR, Lewis RK, Pokorney SD, Sun AY, Thomas KL, Piccini JP. Leadless pacemaker implantation after lead extraction for cardiac implanted electronic device infection. J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol. 2022;33(3):464-470. PM: 35029307.

Brancato SC, Wang M, Spinelli KJ, Gandhavadi M, Worrall NK, Lehr EJ, DeBoard ZM, Fitton TP, Leiataua A, Piccini JP, Gluckman TJ. Temporal trends and predictors of surgical ablation for atrial fibrillation across a multistate healthcare system. Heart Rhythm O2. 2021;3(1):32-39. PM: 35243433.

Carvalho GD, Armaganijan LV, Lopes RD, Olandoski M, Galvão BMDA, Pessoa CC, Erbano BO, Luz RSBD, Demarchi AV, Medeiros BG, Moreira DAR. Relationship between ventricular repolarization parameters and the inducibility of ventricular arrhythmias during electrophysiological study in patients with coronary artery disease. Rev Assoc Med Bras (1992). 2022;68(1):61-66. PM: 35239939.

Chew DS, Jones KA, Loring Z, Black-Maier E, Noseworthy PA, Exner DV, Packer DL, Grant J, Mark DB, Piccini JP. Diagnosis-to-ablation time predicts recurrent atrial fibrillation and rehospitalization following catheter ablation. Heart Rhythm O2. 2021;3(1):23-31. PM: 35243432.

Dhruva SS, Shah ND, Vemulapalli S, Deshmukh A, Beatty AL, Gamble GM, Freeman JV, Hummel JP, Piccini JP, Akar JG, Ervin K, Arges KL, Emanuel L, Noseworthy PA, Hu T, Bartlett V, Ross JS. Heart Watch Study: protocol for a pragmatic randomised controlled trial. BMJ Open. 2021;11(12):e054550. PM: 35234659.

Fox KAA, Virdone S, Pieper KS, Bassand JP, Camm AJ, Fitzmaurice DA, Goldhaber SZ, Goto S, Haas S, Kayani G, Oto A, Misselwitz F, Piccini JP, Dalgaard F, Turpie AGG, Verheugt FWA, Kakkar AK. GARFIELD-AF risk score for mortality, stroke, and bleeding within 2 years in patients with atrial fibrillation. Eur Heart J Qual Care Clin Outcomes. 2022;8(2):214-227. PM: 33892489.

Gaffey AE, Cavanagh CE, Rosman L, Wang K, Deng Y, Sims M, O’Brien EC, Chamberlain AM, Mentz RJ, Glover LM, Burg MM. Depressive Symptoms and Incident Heart Failure in the Jackson Heart Study: Differential Risk Among Black Men and Women. J Am Heart Assoc 2022;11(5):e022514. PM: 35191315.

Girotra S, Chan ML, Starks MA, Churpek M, Chan PS. Association of COVID-19 Infection With Survival After In-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Among US Adults.   JAMA Netw Open. 2022;5(3):e220752. PM: 35234884.

Ijioma NN, Don C, Arora V, Edgar L, Hawkins B, Monteleone P, Tcheng JE, Helmy T. ACGME Interventional Cardiology Milestones 2.0-an overview: Endorsed by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. Catheter Cardiovasc Interv. 2022;99(3):777-785. PM: 34708916.

Januzzi JL, Ohman EM. Underdiagnosis of Ischemic Heart Disease in New-Onset Heart Failure: A Call to Action. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2022;79(9):861-863. PM: 35241219.

Kalayci A, Gibson CM, Hernandez AF, Hull RD, Cohen AT, Fitzgerald C, Hussain SD, Chi G, Alkhalfan F, Harrington RA, Goldhaber SZ. Inverse relationship between body mass index and risk of venous thromboembolism among medically ill hospitalized patients: Observations from the APEX trial. Thromb Res. 2022;211:63-69. PM: 35091313.

Khan MS, Solomon N, DeVore AD, Sharma A, Felker GM, Hernandez AF, Heidenreich PA, Matsouaka RA, Green JB, Butler J, Yancy CW, Peterson PN, Fonarow GC, Greene SJ. Clinical Outcomes With Metformin and Sulfonylurea Therapies Among Patients With Heart Failure and Diabetes. JACC Heart Fail. 2022;10(3):198-210. PM: 34895861.

Nanni AN, Harris M, Watson M, Yang Z, Lee HJ, DeVore AD, Henderson JB. Association of tacrolimus time-to-therapeutic range on renal dysfunction and acute cellular rejection after orthotopic heart transplantation in a high use basiliximab population. Clin Transplant. 2022;36(3):e14542. PM: 34797576.

Paluch AE, Bajpai S, Bassett DR, Carnethon MR, Ekelund U, Evenson KR, Galuska DA, Jefferis BJ, Kraus WE, Lee IM, Matthews CE, Omura JD, Patel AV, Pieper CF, Rees-Punia E, Dallmeier D, Klenk J, Whincup PH, Dooley EE, Pettee Gabriel K, Palta P, Pompeii LA. Daily steps and all-cause mortality: a meta-analysis of 15 international cohorts. Lancet Public Health. 2022;7(3):e219-e228. PM: 35247352.

Regan JA, Abdulrahim JW, Bihlmeyer NA, Haynes C, Kwee LC, Patel MR, Shah SH. Phenome-Wide Association Study of Severe COVID-19 Genetic Risk Variants. J Am Heart Assoc. 2022;11(5):e024004. PM: 35179038.

Sampognaro JR, Lewis RK, Black-Maier E, Pokorney SD, Hegland DD, Piccini JP. Cases of Azygous Coil Extraction. Heart Rhythm O2. 2021;3(1):65-69. PM: 35243437.

Samsky MD, Rao SV. Review of Cardiogenic Shock After Acute Myocardial Infarction-Reply. JAMA 2022;327(9):879. PM: 35230396.

Selvaraj S, Hu R, Vidula MK, Dugyala S, Tierney A, Ky B, Margulies KB, Shah SH, Kelly DP, Bravo PE. Acute Echocardiographic Effects of Exogenous Ketone Administration in Healthy Participants. J Am Soc Echocardiogr 2022;35(3):305-311. PM: 34798244.

Senman B, Rao SV. Heart Team Without Borders: Taking the Heart Team Beyond the Institution. J Am Heart Assoc 2022;11(5):e025080. PM: 35225005.

Solomon SD, Vaduganathan M, Claggett BL, de Boer RA, DeMets D, Hernandez AF, Inzucchi SE, Kosiborod MN, Lam CSP, Martinez F, Shah SJ, Belohlavek J, Chiang CE, Willem Borleffs CJ, Comin-Colet J, Dobreanu D, Drozdz J, Fang JC, Alcocer Gamba MA, Al Habeeb W. Baseline Characteristics of Patients With HF With Mildly Reduced and Preserved Ejection Fraction: DELIVER Trial. JACC Heart Fail 2022;10(3):184-197. PM: 35241246.

Thakkar A, Valente T, Andesia J, Njuguna B, Miheso J, Mercer T, Mugo R, Mwangi A, Mwangi E, Pastakia SD, Pathak S, Pillsbury MKM, Kamano J, Naanyu V, Williams M, Vedanthan R, Akwanalo C, Bloomfield GS. Network characteristics of a referral system for patients with hypertension in Western Kenya: results from the Strengthening Referral Networks for Management of Hypertension Across the Health System (STRENGTHS) study. BMC Health Serv Res. 2022;22(1):315. PM: 35255913.

Zeitler EP, Austin AM, Leggett CG, Gilstrap LG, Friedman DJ, Skinner JS, Al-Khatib SM. Complications and Mortality Following CRT-D Versus ICD Implants in Older Medicare Beneficiaries With Heart Failure. JACC Heart Fail 2022;10(3):147-157. PM: 35241242.

Zeitler EP, Felker GM. Natriuretic Peptides and Stratification for ICD Therapy in Nonischemic Heart Failure: A Definite Maybe? JACC Heart Fail 2022;10(3):172-174. PM: 35241244.

 

 

 

Highlights of the Week

Fall 2021 GTSD Star Ratings Announced

We are pleased to share our General Thoracic Surgery Database (GTSD) Star Ratings for the Fall 2021 Harvest. Duke University Hospital received a three-star rating for lobectomy and a two-star rating for esophagectomy. The Star Ratings are a quality indicator based on reporting in the GTSD, which is managed by the Society of Thoracic Surgeons.

The GTSD star ratings provide composite quality ratings for two types of surgeries: lobectomies for primary lung cancer and esophagectomies for primary esophageal cancer. They will soon add a composite quality rating for the broader category of pulmonary resections for lung cancer, according to Melissa Williams, registry team clinical manager of cardiovascular informatics & quality improvement for the Duke Heart Center of Excellence.

Duke University Hospital had taken a pause in submitting data to the GTSD to completely revise the data abstraction and submission processes. Working closely with Dr. Betty Tong, the Duke Heart Center of Excellence resumed data submission in the fall of 2020. These new results with the 3-star rating for lobectomies for lung cancer reflect the three-year cohort of surgeries with dates 7/1/2018 – 6/30/2021. The rating reflects better than expected risk-adjusted results.

According to the previous Harvest Composite Quality Ratings Summary for Spring 2021, there were a total of 222 participating centers entering data into the GTSD for that time period (the total number for Fall 2021 Harvest has not yet been shared). Participants must have at least 30 eligible procedures for each individual composite, meeting inclusion criteria for the 3-year harvest period in order to receive a star rating.

Congratulations to our Thoracic Surgery team – great work!

 

CRT22 Held in DC

The annual Cardiovascular Research Technologies meeting was held in Washington, DC from Feb. 26-March 1, 2022. CRT22 not only marked the 25th anniversary of CRT, it afforded many opportunities to reconnect with others — in person! — including this reunion of current and former Duke Heart Faculty and Cath lab  team members: Tracy Wang, Schuyler Jones, Mike Nanna and Angela Lowenstern. Other Duke faculty members in attendance at CRT22 included Jenn Rymer, Dave Kong, Mitch Krucoff and Magnus Ohman as well as former Duke fellows Amit Voora and Matt Sherwood.

 

Kudos to Lin & Duke Regional Team

We received a wonderful note this week from Duke Regional Hospital president Katie Galbraith. She shared with us a letter she received about care provided to a patient (and their family) by Shu Lin and team.

“I received the letter below from one of our team members, whose loved one was recently a patient in our care. What a beautiful tribute to you and her entire care team! I continue to be amazed and inspired by the wonderfully caring people here at Duke Regional, and this letter reinforces what a special place this is … all because of team members like you and those highlighted in this letter.

Lisa, Sandy and Tom, could you send me the full names of your team members named in the letter, so I can reach out and personally thank them?”

With much appreciation, Katie Galbraith, President, Duke Regional Hospital

The letter states:

“I wanted to send an email to you on the really great care my Mom #2 (mother-in-law) received here recently.

My mother-in-law had been having some health issues over last 6 months and was diagnosed with a large benign tumor (myxoma). She had a cardiac catheterization done here on Friday 2/11 with Dr. Kamada. He, Dr. Lin and his team had excellent bedside manner with my Dad #2 (who is 82 and a little hard of hearing) and Mom. I was also present to hear the information he was giving them about follow up. They were all kind and answered all their questions not seeming rushed or like they had to be elsewhere and my father-in-law noticed that and appreciated as he knew “they are all very busy”.

Surgery was rapidly scheduled for Wednesday 2/16/22 as Dr. Lin explained it needed to happen sooner vs later. Dad was a little concerned at first as he felt her surgery due to the complexity should possibly have been done at Duke Medical Center (Duke University Hospital). Dr. Lin and his team and I reassured him that Duke Regional has all the same benefits and excellent providers that (DUH) has and she would be well taken care of here. She was pre-admitted on 2/15/22 to 5-2. There were many nurses/NAs she met and they were all great on 5-2. I personally remembered Julia, Sade, and a male student nurse that were especially kind. Her surgery took over 5 hours where she then went to the CCU. The nurses/OR team kept my father in law and his daughter updated throughout and commented on how kind everyone had been to them during this process as of course it was very hard for them waiting in the lobby for news. They allowed us to see her in the CCU that evening briefly and Jill whom we met first was amazing and very kind explaining what was going to happen that evening.

Barbara and Tyler from the CCU were also great and mentioned by my family as being great with Mom and Dad.

She was able to return to 5-2 the next day and Julia, Jordyn and David were all great working with her as she had some issues with her heart rate which was scary for my sister and father in law but they explained things clearly as well as Dr. Lin. Sade remembered her from her pre-admit and even came by to speak to her wishing her well and saying she was happy she was back on her floor.

She had PT and OT (of course) and Kellie and Loy did a wonderful job with her and she mentioned how kind they were (even though they made her walk further than she wanted).

Mom was able to return home that Sunday 2/20/22 and is happy to be home.

I have worked here at DRH for over 22 years. I know the challenges the hospital has with staff shortages and high work stress levels from COVID and general work duties.

I want you to know that I saw NONE of that with the people that were working with Mom (and her family) and they have nothing but good things to say about the care they received here. I will try to reach the staff members individually and their supervisors to thank them personally for their care but wanted leadership to know that although we have MANY daily challenges, we have wonderful and caring people working here and wouldn’t have wanted my family being treated anywhere else.” — grateful family member, name withheld for privacy

Superb job by all! This is well-deserved recognition and great representation of Duke’s core values!

Shout-out to Chen, Sullivan & CTS team

We received a note this week from a Press Ganey survey regarding members of the Duke Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgery team:

“Dr. (Edward) Chen and his staff are just superior to any other heart specialists we have ever consulted.  Because of my long term HH, when I was given a preliminary diagnosis of Ascending Aortic Aneurysm and Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy by [a hospital in Virginia] we decided to seek an immediate second opinion from the very best Thoracic Surgeon we could on the east coast. We are very blessed that Duke is in our own back yard and that Dr. Chen is here now and not in Texas or California. We called Dr. Chen’s office directly on Valentine’s Day and was given an immediate appointment for Thursday 2/17/22. Annette Sullivan was very kind and sent a FedEx label for us to overnight both the Echocardiogram and the CT results from (the Virginia) hospital to Dr. Chen’s office directly. His assessment was firm and amazing. My heart is fine. The Echocardiogram was misleading and the CT proved that there was nothing at all wrong with my heart. We had been in limbo since the second of February when the Echo was conducted. The CT was never read to us nor were any lab results posted on the patient portal by (the hospital in VA). Frankly their system leaves much to be desired. It was Dr. Chen who told us that we were fine. It was his expertise, his positive affirmation of good heart health. You have no idea as to the devastation my wife felt at the thought of the possible outcomes. She has true dilated cardiomyopathy. Her father had an AAA with EVAR. My father died suddenly of heart attack at age 67 and we both know what can happen with a C282Y gene mutation. We watch my heart, liver, pancreas and endocrine systems constantly. I have regular phlebotomies. I have had PVNS (giant cell tumors), treated by Dr. Briggman, Duke Orthopedic Oncology, with a great outcome BTW from another of your most excellent physicians. Needless to say, we are very relieved that Duke is in-network for us and that Dr. Edward Chen chooses to practice at Duke. To top off our experience with Dr. Chen and his staff, he promised to review our previous results from the (Virginia-based) system and call us when he had finished his assessment. This morning he called us and reassured us once again that my heart is doing fine. He is a very busy man, but he made the time for us, folks he does not even know. But he truly cares. This is what makes him an exceptional physician and a truly great man. Thank you Dr. Chen. God Speed.” – grateful patient, name withheld for privacy.

Wonderful feedback, Dr. Chen, Annette and team!

 

Bowers Involved AANP Heart Health Campaign

Midge Bowers lent her voice to a national campaign sponsored by the American Association of Nurse Practitioners last month. “Caring for your Heart and Your Heart Health” was aimed at patients and their caregivers. Bowers authored a blog post and narrated a two-minute video  for the campaign.

Great work, Midge! Way to represent Duke Heart!

 

Robert H. Jones Celebration of Life Held

The service of life in memory of Robert H. Jones, MD, professor emeritus of surgery (cardiovascular and thoracic) and a founder of Duke Heart Center was held yesterday, Saturday, March 5, at the Cole Mill Road Church of Christ in Durham, NC. The event was a touching tribute to Dr. Jones by members of his family and his church community. He was remembered for his adventurous spirit, humility, vision & perseverance, his concern for others, a deep and abiding faith, and his love for family. The in-person service was shared live via Zoom. We thank all who were able to attend and who have shown their support to the Jones family.

Shown here, flags lowered across the Duke campus in his memory on Monday, Jan. 31, 2022.

 

ICYMI: Two CPT Pieces Highlight Duke Heart Programs

We wanted to be sure to highlight two recently published articles from Duke Health’s Clinical Practice Today. Many thanks to the Heart Transplant and Cardio-Oncology teams for taking time to give interviews. Clinical Practice Today (CPT) is distributed to referring physicians throughout the region and is an important vehicle for sharing and promoting the services we provide to patients as well as our latest research findings.

• Duke Heart Transplant Median Wait Time Drops 57%
• Cardio-oncology Builds Heart-focused Specialty

 

ICYMI: Newsweek Rankings of Best Specialty Hospitals

Newsweek, in its rankings of the Best Specialty Hospitals in the World, has ranked Duke University Hospital at #13 for Cardiology care and #18 for Cardiac Surgery care. See the full rankings for all specialties in the article below in News. Congratulations to all!

Voting for USNWR ‘Best Hospitals’ Open in Doximity

The survey period for U.S. News & World Report’s ‘Best Hospitals’ is open in Doximity through March 25. We encourage all those who are eligible to vote in the survey of “Best Hospitals for Cardiology and Heart Surgery” to consider casting a vote for Duke.

Reminder: paper surveys have been discontinued. The only way to vote in the survey is online via Doximity.

If you have not yet claimed your profile on this platform, you can do so at any time during the voting period.

• Go to com
• Enter your first and last name on the home screen
• Click on the ‘Find My Profile’ button

A survey will display in your profile until you vote or the survey closes on March 25, 2022.

 

COVID-19 Updates

The COVID-19 Employee Hotline hours are changing to reflect recent utilization trends. Beginning March 1, the hotline will be available during these times:

• Monday — Friday: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Saturday — Sunday: 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.

The phone number for the hotline is 919-385-0429 (option 1).

 

All the latest Clinical Operations updates related to COVID can be found at https://covid-19.dukehealth.org.

 

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

Cardiology Grand Rounds

March 8: Lipoprotein (a): Unveiling the Mysterious Biomarker with Nishant Shah. 5 p.m. via Webex.

Upcoming Duke Heart CME

April 23: Duke Sports Cardiology & Sudden Death in Athletes Symposium with course directors Jim Daubert and Bill Kraus. Virtual. For information or to register, contact Christy Darnell christy.darnell@duke.edu or 919-880-8686.

 

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. Submissions by Noon, Wednesdays, to be considered for weekend inclusion.

Duke Heart in the News:

February 27 — Anthony Peters

cardionerds.com

Case Summary – Dyspnea with an LVAD: A Tale of Hypoxia and Hemodynamics

https://duke.is/za4wg

February 28 — E. Magnus Ohman

Medpage Today

Heart Failure Patients Still Undertested for CAD

https://duke.is/vhhgc

March 2 — Adrian Hernandez

RT magazine

Study to Test Higher Dose of Ivermectin for Mild-to-Moderate COVID-19

https://duke.is/gcyf8

March 2 — Jonathan Piccini

WQAD ABC-8 (Davenport, IA)

YOUR HEALTH: Checking your rhythm all of the time

https://duke.is/584z2

March 2 — Brandi Bottiger (CT Anesthesiology)

The National Tribune

Mode of intraoperative support impacts primary graft dysfunction after lung transplant

https://duke.is/n5hua

March 4 — Adrian Hernandez

ABC News

Group of physicians combats misinformation as unproven COVID-19 treatments continue to be prescribed

https://duke.is/5uxjs

March 2022 — Duke University Hospital

Newsweek

The World’s Best Specialized Hospitals 2022

https://duke.is/6jrgr

Division of Cardiology Publications Indexed in PubMed February 24- March 2, 2022

Emmens JE, Ter Maaten JM, Matsue Y, Figarska SM, Sama IE, Cotter G, Cleland JGF, Davison BA, Felker GM, Givertz MM, Greenberg B, Pang PS, Severin T, Gimpelewicz C, Metra M, Voors AA, Teerlink JR. Worsening renal function in acute heart failure in the context of diuretic response. Eur J Heart Fail 2022;24(2):365-374. PM: 34786794.

Gajewski P, Fudim M, Kittipibul V, Engelman ZJ, Biegus J, Zymliński R, Ponikowski P. Early Hemodynamic Changes following Surgical Ablation of the Right Greater Splanchnic Nerve for the Treatment of Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction. J Clin Med 2022;11(4):1063. PM: 35207336.

Garg K, Patel TR, Kanwal A, Villines TC, Aggarwal NR, Nasir K, Blumenthal RS, Blaha MJ, Douglas PS, Shaw LJ, Sharma G. The evolving role of coronary computed tomography in understanding sex differences in coronary atherosclerosis. J Cardiovasc Comput Tomogr 2022;16(2):138-149. PM: 34654676.

Nikolakopoulos I, Vemmou E, Xenogiannis I, Karacsonyi J, Rao SV, Romagnoli E, Tsigkas G, Milkas A, Velagapudi P, Alaswad K, Rangan BV, Garcia S, Burke MN, Brilakis ES. Radial versus femoral access in patients with coronary artery bypass surgery: Frequentist and Bayesian meta-analysis. Catheter Cardiovasc Interv 2022;99(2):462-471. PM: 34779096.

Schubert R, Geoffroy E, Gregga I, Mulford AJ, Aguet F, Ardlie K, Gerszten R, Clish C, Van Den Berg D, Taylor KD, Durda P, Johnson WC, Cornell E, Guo X, Liu Y, Tracy R, Conomos M, Blackwell T, Papanicolaou G, Lappalainen T, Mikhaylova AV, Thornton TA, Cho. Protein prediction for trait mapping in diverse populations. PLoS One 2022 ;17(2):e0264341. PM: 35202437.

Shahid I, Khan MS, Sohail A, Khan SU, Greene SJ, Fudim M, Michos ED. Evaluation of Representation of Women as Authors in Pivotal Trials Supporting US Food and Drug Administration Approval of Novel Cardiovascular Drugs. JAMA Netw Open 2022;5(2):e220035. PM: 35212753.