Chief Message:
We recognize and remember victims, family members, and survivors of 9-11-2001, and appreciate all of the people that work to ensure that our country and the world remain safe. Importantly, we hope that our country will continue to unite and remember the sacrifices and lives lost – many of which were remembered today at the ground zero ceremonies.
Highlights of the week:
Duke Health Performs World’s First Partial Heart Transplant
A team at Duke Health has performed what is believed to be the world’s first partial heart transplant, with the living arteries and valves from a freshly donated heart fused onto a patient’s existing heart.
The goal is to allow the valves to grow with the pediatric patient over time, increasing life expectancy. The team believes a similar approach could be used to place newly donated heart valves in countless other children with heart defects.
This animated video explains and illustrates the innovative procedure.
“This procedure potentially solves the problem of a growing valve,” said Joseph W. Turek, MD, PhD, Duke’s chief of pediatric cardiac surgery, who led the landmark surgery.
“If we can eliminate the need for multiple open-heart surgeries every time a child outgrows an old valve, we could be extending the life of that child by potentially decades or more,” Turek said.
The surgery was performed on 5-pound newborn, Owen Monroe. His family is from 
Leland, NC, but he was born at Duke after his parents learned that he had a condition called truncus arteriosus, in which his two main heart arteries were fused together. Worse still, his one vessel was equipped with a leaky valve, making it unlikely he could survive the wait for a full heart transplant.
Typically, children in situations like Owen’s would receive two preserved cadaver arteries with valves. But the implanted tissue used in this procedure doesn’t grow with the child’s own heart because it’s not living. Pediatric patients require multiple follow-up open heart surgeries to replace the valves with larger ones, dramatically limiting their life expectancy.
In the novel partial heart transplant, Turek and the Duke team — including fellow pediatric heart surgeon, Nicholas Andersen, MD and a large team of anesthesiologists, nurses, technicians and support staff — used living tissue and valves. The tissue was procured from a donor heart that had strong valves, but could not be used for full transplant due to the condition of the muscle.
The team’s effort to implant valves that could grow along with a patient appears to be a success. Owen is showing remarkable growth and improvements since undergoing the surgery on April 22, 2022, and his outlook remains strong.
“What’s particularly remarkable about this procedure, is that not only is this innovation something that can extend the lives of children, but it makes use of a donated heart that would otherwise not be transplantable,” said Michael Carboni, MD, an associate professor in the Department of Pediatrics at Duke University School of Medicine and Owen’s pediatric transplant 
cardiologist.
“The valves in this procedure come from a donor heart that had muscle tissue which was too weak to make it viable for full transplant but had strong valves that were well suited for Owen’s needs.” Carboni said. “This innovation amplifies the ways in which we can use the incredible gift of organ donation to save more lives.”
Experts at Duke are hopeful a similar approach could be used to treat common valve replacements in children, providing a one-time surgery to implant freshly donated tissue that could grow with the child.
“As harrowing of an experience as it was for our family, we knew from the beginning that Owen was in the best hands,” said Nick Monroe, Owen’s father. “Our greatest hope is that Owen’s success story will change the way organ donation and transplants are handled not only for congenital heart disease babies, but for all patients.”
Congratulations to the team and to Owen and his family!
To hear more about Owen’s story, please visit: https://duke.is/63jk7. There are links to news coverage in our News section, below.
President Price Applauds Research, Innovation at Duke Kannapolis Campus
Duke University President Vincent E. Price visited Duke’s clinical research office at the North Carolina Research Campus in Kannapolis on Thursday, Sept. 8. Duke Kannapolis demonstrates Duke’s commitment to advancing community health and improving lives across the state.
During roundtable discussions with Duke collaborators, local leaders, and study participants, Price spent his historic visit learning more about the unique research facility that has enrolled nearly 14,000 volunteers in dozens of studies using a successful community-engaged research model. Duke Kannapolis is a part of the Duke Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI).
“Through community-based research and partnerships, Duke Kannapolis is on the forefront of population health research,” said Price, 10th president of Duke University and the first to visit Duke Kannapolis. “I am very grateful for the community leaders in Kannapolis and across the state who are strengthening Duke’s research and education missions to serve North Carolinians.”
Newly appointed Duke Kannapolis Director Svati H. Shah, MD, MHS, welcomed Price to Duke Kannapolis, which was founded in 2007 by Robert Califf, MD, Duke adjunct professor of medicine and commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
“I am so grateful for the time President Price gave us today to hear our story, see for himself the amazing work that’s happening here, and meet the extraordinary people who make this work a success,” she said. “Our partnership with our community in Kannapolis and Cabarrus County remains a vital and essential component of our success at Duke Kannapolis.”
Most Essential Component
Shah, who was recently tapped to lead Duke Kannapolis by CTSI Director L. Ebony Boulware, MD, MPH, shared her vision with Price to continue expanding work in omics, precision medicine, and population health with an increased focus on digital health, artificial intelligence, and genomic medicine to accelerate the translation of research to improved patient care.
While she builds new partnerships both within Duke and at the North Carolina Research Campus, Shah said the most important partner for Duke Kannapolis will remain the community itself.
“Our partnership with you, our community collaborators in Kannapolis and Cabarrus County, is the single most essential component of our success,” she told local leaders and study participants. “With your vision in reimagining the quality of life for your community, there is more for us to do and accomplish together.”
Community stakeholders at the event included representatives from the City of Kannapolis, City of Concord, Cabarrus Health Alliance, and El Puente Hispano, as well as participants in studies ranging from COVID-19 research to low back pain. Elected leaders included NC representative Kristin Baker.
The full story continues here: https://duke.is/wvjc3.
Skorton Delivers Cardiology, Medicine Grand Rounds
We welcomed Dr. David J. Skorton, President and CEO of the Association of American Medical Colleges to Duke this past week as the Pamela S. Douglas, MD Visiting Scholar. Skorton gave Cardiology Grand Rounds in a special session held Thursday evening both in-person and online. His topic was ‘The Art and Science of Leadership’. A reception in the Doris Duke Center at Duke Gardens followed the presentation.
He also delivered his presentation, ‘Advancing Diversity Equity and Inclusion in Academic Medicine: Its Critical Importance and the Role We All Must Play’ for Medicine Grand Rounds on Friday morning.
Skorton is a cardiologist specializing in congenital heart disease and cardiac imaging. We are deeply appreciative of the time he spent with us and are grateful to all who joined us!
Rymer Delivers Endocrinology Grand Rounds
Dr. Jennifer Rymer presented Endocrinology Grand Rounds on Friday afternoon, Sept. 9. Her topic was
Women’s cardiovascular health and disparities in the treatment of women with ASCVD.
Such an important topic — way to go, Jenn!
DHIP Town Hall Rescheduled to Sept. 28
The Duke Health Integrated Practice (DHIP) Town Hall has been rescheduled for 7 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 28. This will be a Duke Health community-wide event. Questions you would like answered during the Town Hall can be sent ahead of time to DHIP@duke.edu.
As we make progress in creating the Duke Health Integrated Practice (DHIP), the project team and subject-matter experts are answering your questions about our transition. For more questions and answers, see our recently updated FAQs at https://dhip.org/faqs.
Shiveler Named Assistant Nurse Manager, 3100, Effective Sept. 26
Duke Heart is pleased to announce that Ally Shiveler, BSN, RN, CMSRN, CNIII will become Assistant Nurse Manager Operations for Duke University Hospital’s Cardiothoracic Stepdown Unit (3100) effective September 26th. Ally earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of North Carolina, Wilmington in 2012. She joined Duke as a new graduate nurse on 4100 in July 2012.
During her time at Duke, Ally advanced on the clinical ladder by becoming a CNIII and has held a variety of roles on 4100 including Preceptor, Charge Nurse, Diabetes Management Champion, and POCT Trainer. Ally grew up in the Raleigh-Durham area and is excited to grow with this new opportunity in Duke Heart.
Please join us in congratulating and welcoming Ally to her new role!
Shout-out to Duke Transplant Teams & UNOS
The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) on Friday shared that the U.S. has transplanted 1 million organs. As of the end of July, Duke had contributed 10,063 to that number!
A huge hat tip to all the donors and family members who have chosen to give the gift of life – without their trust and generosity, none of this would be possible.
A very special shout-out to the hundreds of team members across Duke who are part of the transplantation process: from the medical care of patients at the end of life, to those who provide care and solace to donor families, to those providing care to patients who need a transplant. This requires so many of us! To all who help and care for patients in need of listing; the counselors, financial experts and social workers, transplant and research coordinators; the perfusionists, respiratory therapists and imaging teams; transport teams, surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, techs and all those involved in the post-op care and follow-op of transplant patients.
We are so proud of your amazing teamwork each and every day. Exceptional work!!!
Photo of the Week
A great photo from Twitter this week of some of our incredible electrophysiology staff, courtesy of Jon Piccini! September is National Atrial Fibrillation (AFib) Awareness Month. Our Duke Electrophysiology team does an excellent job helping patients diagnosed with AFib, but also helps to build awareness all year long for this life threatening arrhythmia.
Did you know? In 2009, the Heart Rhythm Society and its partners worked to have the United States Senate officially designate September as National AFib Awareness Month. This was due to the growing prevalence of AFib and a desire to help the public become more familiar with the symptoms, warning signs, and available treatment options.
Nursing Open House, Sept. 29
Duke Heart’s nursing team is hosting an open house on Thursday, Sept. 29 for new and experienced nurses as part of our recruitment efforts. The Open House will allow for participants to take part in unit tours, shadowing and interviews.
Interested participants can meet our Duke Heart nursing staff and leaders anytime between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. in Duke Medicine Pavilion. Greeters will be located at the front entrance (near valets) to meet attendees and direct them to the event throughout the day. Please share this information with anyone you think might be a good candidate for us! They can register by scanning the following QR code.
Heart Walk, 9/25; Kudos to Hitting with Heart Teams
Two weeks remaining!! We are excited for the upcoming American Heart Association Triangle Heart Walk scheduled for Sunday, September 25 at PNC Arena. Please plan to join us. Let’s make sure we have plenty of Duke Blue visible out there!
The annual Walk is a great opportunity to come together to celebrate one another, to represent Duke Health, and to reinvigorate the commitment we have for living a heart-healthy lifestyle. We are so appreciative of all of our team members who are taking time to plan for this event and raise funds, including DUH 7100!
KUDOS!
Kudos to all participants in the 6th annual “Hitting with Heart” softball tournament held Saturday, Aug. 27 at Valley Springs Park in Durham. The Healthy Work Environment committee from 7 West invited multiple departments from Duke University Hospital to participate in an all-day tournament to raise money for the American Heart Association’s Triangle Heart Walk.
They were finally able to have the tournament after being cancelled for the past two years due to Covid-19. This year’s tournament included nine teams. Groups represented included 7 West, CT Stepdown, 7100, Vascular IR, Clinical Engineering, DHTS-COO, Hospital Medicine, CT OR, and 6300.
All told, the tournament raised about $500 to benefit the AHA. Way to go!!!!
Interested?? Registering to participate in the Walk is easy. Visit the DUHS team page and/or contact Sangeetha Menon from the AHA at sangeetha.menon@heart.org for help getting started or with any questions.
Thank you to everyone who has already signed up to participate. If you can’t join us in person, please consider a contribution of any amount to one (or more!) of the teams representing Duke Heart.
We are getting closer to reaching our overall DUHS fundraising goal! Please help us get there. Support our Duke Heart teams!!! (Our teams can be found here: https://duke.is/6jpdp). Thank you!
Additional Reminders:
- September is Atrial Fibrillation Awareness month!
- Duke HR is hosting Financial Fitness Week THIS WEEK, 12-15. Staff and faculty can attend free virtual seminars to learn more about retirement planning, preparing budgets, handling investments, and more. Learn more/register here: https://duke.is/cc52s.
- The DUHS annual flu vaccination campaign begins on Thursday, September 15.
- Open Enrollment is October 17-28. This is your opportunity to review your medical, dental, vision, and reimbursement account benefit elections and make any changes necessary to ensure your choices continue to meet your needs. Watch your email and home mail delivery for more information.
- Duke Health has closed its dedicated COVID Nurse Triage line for questions from patients, employees, students and families as of Sept. 1 due to the decrease in calls and a significant increase in community resources. The Duke Health COVID hotline for employees (919-385-0429) remains operational.
Upcoming Events & Opportunities
Cardiology Grand Rounds
September 13: Guest speaker Bernard Gersh of Mayo Clinic, Rochester with Christopher Granger. 5 p.m. Webex only. (https://duke.is/pemrh)
CME & Other Events
September 12: Prostate Cancer & CVD Symposium — Collaborative Practice in Prostate Cancer: How is this actually done? Third webinar of a four-part series. Webinar series is a collaboration between the International Cardio-Oncology Society & Duke Heart. Noon, Eastern. Free. To learn more, please visit: https://duke.is/mbpte
September 12-15: Financial Fitness Week at Duke. Hosted by Duke HR. Register here: https://duke.is/cc52s.
September 16: MGR — Threatened Limbs at Duke: Multidisciplinary Care for a Multifaceted Problem with Katherine Neal and Kevin Southerland. Medicine Grand Rounds, DN 2002 or via Zoom.
September 25: Triangle Heart Walk. PNC Arena, Raleigh. Check-in and festivities start at 11 am. Walk begins at Noon. Join us!
September 28: DHIP Town Hall. 7 a.m. Links/location forthcoming. Watch your email.
September 29: Nursing Open House. Duke Heart’s nursing team is hosting an Open House as part of recruitment efforts. 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., DMP. To register: https://duke.is/mhah5
October 14: Cardio-Oncology in the Era of Precision Medicine. Symposium to be held at the J.B. Duke Hotel, Durham, NC. Registration is open: https://bit.ly/CardioOnc22. Email Beth Tanner with questions: beth.tanner@duke.edu.
October 17-28: Open Enrollment period for 2023 for all Duke faculty members and staff.
November 4: 14th Annual NC Research Triangle Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium. 7 a.m.-4 p.m. This will be an in-person event at the Durham Convention Center. Registration required. To learn more and register, visit: https://duke.is/jag2b
November 14: Prostate Cancer & CVD Symposium, Webinar 4. Final of a four-part webinar series. Collaboration between the International Cardio-Oncology Society & Duke Heart. Noon, Eastern. Free. Registration is not yet available. To learn more about the series, please visit: https://duke.is/mbpte.
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:
September 2 — Josephine Harrington
Medscape
Early Signal of Benefit for Empagliflozin in Acute MI: EMMY
https://duke.is/6b5b6
September 6 — John Alexander
Healio/Cardiology
Asundexian inhibits factor XIa activity with no excess bleeding risk after MI, stroke
https://duke.is/pgjpb
September 7 — Jonathan Piccini
AHA Newsroom
Study finds connection between COVID-19 and new-onset AFib
https://duke.is/4k8u4
September 8 — Joseph Turek
NBC Today Show
1st ever partial heart transplant saves 5-month-old: ‘Revolutionary’ for other kids
https://duke.is/n4b4n
*this story was carried on NBC affiliate stations nationally
September 8 — Michael Carboni and Joseph Turek
WRAL/NBC-5
Duke surgeon explains pioneering partial heart transplant
https://duke.is/9fkkw
Additional version:
WRAL/NBC-5
Newborn saved with first-of-its-kind heart transplant at Duke
https://duke.is/bv3r8
September 8 — Joseph Turek and Michael Carboni
WNCT/CBS (Greenville, NC)
Partial heart transplant at Duke
https://duke.is/yz89p
September 8 — Svati Shah, L. Ebony Boulware and Vincent E. Price
WBTV.com (Charlotte)
Duke University president visits Duke Kannapolis on Thursday
https://duke.is/cejac
September 8 — Michael Carboni and Joseph Turek
Healio/Cardiology
World’s first partial heart transplant completed in newborn with truncus arteriosus
https://duke.is/vm9qr
September 8 — Michael Carboni and Joseph Turek
Becker’s Hospital Review
Duke surgeons perform world’s 1st partial heart transplant
https://duke.is/zjjm9
September 9 — Jacob Schroder
USA Today
Organ transplant milestone: As US crosses 1 million mark, advances offer hope for millions more
https://duke.is/wxdeg
September 9 — Svati Shah, L. Ebony Boulware & Vincent E. Price
Salisbury Post
Duke University’s president visits clinical research office in Kannapolis
Division of Cardiology Publications Indexed in PubMed August 25–September 7, 2022
Barac YD, Toledano R, Jawitz OK, Schroder JN, Daneshmand MA, Patel CB, Aravot D, Milano CA. Right and left ventricular assist devices are an option for bridge to heart transplant. JTCVS Open 2022 Jan 22;9:146-159. PM: 36003474.
Frazier-Mills CG, Johnson LC, Xia Y, Rosemas SC, Franco NC, Pokorney SD. Syncope Recurrence and Downstream Diagnostic Testing after Insertable Cardiac Monitor Placement for Syncope. Diagnostics (Basel) 2022 Aug 16;12(8):1977. PM: 36010327.
Hernandez AF. Preface to theme issue on pragmatic and virtual trials: Progress and challenges. Contemp Clin Trials 2022 Aug;119:106816. PM: 35714912.
Lumsden RH, Pagidipati N. Management of cardiovascular risk factors during pregnancy. Heart 2022 Aug 25;108(18):1438-1444. PM: 35064047.
Minhas AMK, Sagheer S, Shekhar R, Sheikh AB, Nazir S, Ullah W, Khan MZ, Shahid I, Dani SS, Michos ED, Fudim M. Trends and Inpatient Outcomes of Primary Atrial Fibrillation Hospitalizations with Underlying Iron Deficiency Anemia: An Analysis of The National Inpatient Sample Database from 2004 -2018. Curr Probl Cardiol 2022 Oct;47(10):101001. PM: 34571106.
Mirowsky JE, Carraway MS, Dhingra R, Tong H, Neas L, Diaz-Sanchez D, Cascio WE, Case M, Crooks JL, Hauser ER, Dowdy ZE, Kraus WE, Devlin RB. Exposures to low-levels of fine particulate matter are associated with acute changes in heart rate variability, cardiac repolarization, and circulating blood lipids in coronary artery disease patients. Environ Res 2022 Nov;214(Pt 1):113768. PM: 35780850.
Moodie Z, Dintwe O, Sawant S, Grove D, Huang Y, Janes H, Heptinstall J, Omar FL, Cohen K, De Rosa SC, Zhang L, Yates NL, Sarzotti-Kelsoe M, Seaton KE, Laher F, Bekker LG, Malahleha M, Innes C, Kassim S, Naicker N, Govender V, Sebe M, Singh N, Kotze P, Lazarus E, Nchabeleng M, Ward AM, Brumskine W, Dubula T, Randhawa AK, Grunenberg N, Hural J, Kee JJ, Benkeser D, Jin Y, Carpp LN, Allen M, D’Souza P, Tartaglia J, DiazGranados CA, Koutsoukos M, Gilbert PB, Kublin JG, Corey L, Andersen-Nissen E, Gray GE, Tomaras GD, McElrath MJ. Analysis of the HIV Vaccine Trials Network 702 Phase 2b- 3 HIV-1 Vaccine Trial in South Africa Assessing RV144 Antibody and T-Cell Correlates of HIV-1 Acquisition Risk. J Infect Dis 2022 Aug 24;226(2):246-257. PM: 35758878.
Rao SJ, Douglas PS, Rzeszut A, Kwapong YA, Hayes SN, Poppas A, Mehta LS, Blumenthal RS, Sharma G. Global Differences in Parental Leave Policies and Satisfaction Among Cardiologists. Curr Probl Cardiol 2022 Oct;47(10):101299. PM: 35753397.
Stevens SR, Segar MW, Pandey A, Lokhnygina Y, Green JB, McGuire DK, Standl E, Peterson ED, Holman RR. Development and validation of a model to predict cardiovascular death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, or nonfatal stroke in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and established atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Cardiovasc Diabetol 2022 Aug 27;21(1):166. PM: 36030198.
Wixted D, Neighbors CE, Pieper CF, Wu A, Kingsbury C, Register H, Petzold E, Newby LK, Woods CW. Comparison of a Blood Self-Collection System with Routine Phlebotomy for SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Testing. Diagnostics (Basel) 2022 Jul 31;12(8):1857. PM: 36010206.
Armstrong PW, Zheng Y, Troughton RW, Lund LH, Zhang J, Lam CSP, Westerhout CM, Blaustein RO, Butler J, Hernandez AF, Roessig L, O’Connor CM, Voors AA, Ezekowitz JA. Sequential Evaluation of NT-proBNP in Heart Failure: Insights Into Clinical Outcomes and Efficacy of Vericiguat. JACC Heart Fail 2022 Sep;10(9):677-688. PM: 36049817.
Fiorito G, Pedron S, Ochoa-Rosales C, McCrory C, Polidoro S, Zhang Y, Dugué PA, Ratliff S, Zhao WN, McKay GJ, Costa G, Solinas MG, Harris KM, Tumino R, Grioni S, Ricceri F, Panico S, Brenner H, Schwettmann L, Waldenberger M, Matias-Garcia PR, Peters A, Hodge A, Giles GG, Schmitz LL, Levine M, Smith JA, Liu Y, Kee F, Young IS, McGuinness B, McKnight AJ, van Meurs J, Voortman T, Kenny RA, Vineis P, Carmeli C. The Role of Epigenetic Clocks in Explaining Educational Inequalities in Mortality: A Multicohort Study and Meta- analysis. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2022 Sep 1;77(9):1750-1759. PM: 35172329.
Gautam N, Ghanta SN, Clausen A, Saluja P, Sivakumar K, Dhar G, Chang Q, DeMazumder D, Rabbat MG, Greene SJ, Fudim M, Al’Aref SJ. Contemporary Applications of Machine Learning for Device Therapy in Heart Failure. JACC Heart Fail 2022 Sep;10(9):603-622. PM: 36049812.
Khan MS, Felker GM, Fudim M. Are We Getting Any Closer to Understanding Congestion? JACC Heart Fail 2022 Sep;10(9):633-636. PM: 36049814.
Spyropoulos AC, Lopes RD. Commentary on the 2021 ASH Guidelines on use of anticoagulation in patients with COVID-19 being discharged from the hospital. Blood Adv 2022 Sep 13;6(17):5045-5048. PM: 35245944.
Sun K, Corneli AL, Dombeck C, Swezey T, Rogers JL, Criscione-Schreiber LG, Sadun RE, Eudy AM, Doss J, Bosworth HB, Clowse MEB. Barriers to Taking Medications for Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: A Qualitative Study of Racial Minority Patients, Lupus Providers, and Clinic Staff. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken) 2022 Sep;74(9):1459-1467. PM: 33662174.
Susman SJ, Bouffler A, Gordee A, Kuchibhatla M, Leahy JC, Griffin SM, Christenson RH, Newby LK, Limkakeng AT. Stress-Delta B-Type Natriuretic Peptide Does Not Exclude ACS in the ED. J Appl Lab Med 2022 Sep 1;7(5):1098-1107. PM: 35587711.
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