Duke Heart Pulse — November 10, 2024 – The Pulse

Chief’s Message:

We were lucky to have our Heart Leadership Council Meeting on Friday. The meeting is a place where we can present where we think the field of cardiovascular medicine is going and get feedback from this group of leaders, some of whom are grateful patients. The group is led by Bob Keegan, and they were engaged and supportive of all the work our group is doing. We also had our fourth annual “Shark Tank” competition to see awards and projects presented by our Faculty. There were some big ideas that we hope will change the course of the work, research, and training we do. I am including a picture here of Senthil Selvaraj presenting some follow up to a prior award. We are grateful for the leadership and support from this group of ambassadors and look forward to continuing to have them support and engage in supporting our work to discover and deliver cardiovascular health.

Highlights of the week:

Keenan Named Surgical Director, Mechanical Circulatory Support

Jeffrey Keenan, MD, assistant professor of surgery at Duke, has been named Surgical Director, Mechanical Circulatory Support. The announcement was made by Carmelo Milano, MD, the Joseph and Dorothy Beard Professor of Surgery and Division Chief of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, who previously held the role.

Dr. Keenan completed his general and cardiothoracic surgery training here at Duke. After completing his training, he joined the University of Washington as an assistant professor in their Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery before being recruited back to Duke. As a member of Duke’s CT surgery division, he has done a great job supporting adult cardiac surgery, cardiac transplantation, and mechanical circulatory support. Jeff brings a tremendous work ethic, great communication, and team-player skills to our division and the Duke Heart service line.

In his new role, Dr. Keenan will work closely with Stuart Russell, MD, Medical Director, MCS, and Stephanie Barnes, Clinical Director for Advanced Heart Failure.

Important responsibilities in this role include:

Providing surgical oversight of the durable VAD program.
Serving as surgical site principal investigator on national trials of MCS devices at Duke, continuing to drive innovation in this space.
Reinvigorating our effort to organize a multi-disciplinary cardiogenic shock team.
Overseeing quality improvement initiatives and databases related to MCS within Duke Health.

Furthermore, Dr. Keenan will work closely with Jacob Schroder, MD, Surgical Director, Advanced Heart Failure and Duke’s Heart Transplantation Program and co-director of the Cardiothoracic Surgery ICU, to strengthen MCS for transplant-bridging. He will also work closely with Jeff Gaca, MD, Section Chief, Adult Cardiac Surgery, to help enhance MCS support for high-risk cardiac surgery.

Congratulations, Jeff!

Thank you, Dr. Milano!

Words of gratitude and appreciation for Dr. Carmelo Milano’s years at the helm of our Mechanical Circulatory Support team poured in after he announced that Jeff Keenan would be stepping into the role of surgical director. We wanted to share some of those thoughts here with the entire Duke Heart team:

Just wanted to point out that Carmelo has run the MCS program since joining the faculty at the turn of the century so this transition is the end of an era. On behalf of the heart failure docs and Cardiology – Carmelo, thanks for all of your care of patients at Duke, your leadership in the surgical LVAD world, and your tireless effort to make Duke the best place in the world for surgical care of end-stage heart failure patients. We are so fortunate to have you, Jacob, and Jeff to work with. Looking forward to the next 25 years with Jeff. — Stu Russell, MD

Dr. Milano’s knowledge, passion for MCS therapies, and compassion for patients made the best leader for this therapy at Duke. I always knew we could count on him to get in to see any patient even when on vacation, or to get a case posted ASAP if it was best for the patient. His brilliant and humble approach helped us to partner with others and to draw the best and brightest to this field. It has been a privilege to partner with him to build the Duke program. — Laura Blue, NP

The advanced heart failure program at Duke has grown — under Dr. Milano’s leadership — into a world powerhouse. Thank you, Carmelo, and congratulations, Jeff. – Chet Patel, MD

I echo the remarks with much gratitude for Carmelo’s steady and visionary leadership in growing the MCS program in volume, quality, and evidence generation. And with equal enthusiasm and great anticipation for the dawn of a new era of innovation and team-based decision-making under Jeff’s leadership. As for our team, you can continue to count on our unwavering support, as we partner with you 24/7/365 in the care of these complex patients during some of the most vulnerable moments in their heart failure journey – the perioperative and critical care stages. Congratulations Jeff! – Mihai Podgoreanu, MD

AHA Sessions & Annual Duke Gathering

We are all looking forward to the 2024 American Heart Association Scientific Sessions coming up next weekend. Please join us at our Annual Duke-DCRI reception on Saturday, Nov. 16 from 5:30-8:30 p.m.!

Where? Marriott Marquis Chicago – Grand Horizon E
Time: 5:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Date: Saturday, Nov. 16

Questions? Please email Elizabeth.Evans@duke.edu or Willette.Wilkins@duke.edu

Selvaraj Receives DOM Research Award

Congratulations to Senthil Selvaraj, MD! We learned this week that he is one of two recipients selected by the Department of Medicine (DOM) for their inaugural Rising Star Research Excellence Award.

The Rising Star Research Excellence Award recognizes junior faculty in the DOM for their burgeoning excellence in producing new insights into important biomedical problems. These insights may be delivered using clinical, translational, or basic research approaches and are demonstrable by high-quality peer-reviewed publications, the acquisition of competitive external funding, and the development of sustainable research programs that enhance Duke’s research enterprise.

Great news, Senthil – congrats!

Shout-out to Schanze

We received the following shout-out for Emily Schanze from cardiac sonographer Katie Nobles for the exceptional work done by Emily last weekend:

“Hi all, I just wanted to send out this email to let you know that Emily, serving as North charge, this weekend has been an absolute superwoman for lack of better words. I’m pretty sure she figured out how to clone herself at some point. Not only did she handle scheduling the patients, dealing with Stats, and phone calls, but she also coordinated for taps, Ice Cases, TAVRs and TEE’s. Not to mention on top of all this she has been helping transport patients to and from their rooms to the north lab, along with helping with Definity or bubble studies as needed. I honestly don’t know how she managed to do everything she has done this week while going far above and beyond her “job title”. She even scanned a patient during lunch when needed!!!

I truly cannot applaud her enough for all she did this week! So appreciated!!!” — Kathryne “Katie” Nobles, RCS, Cardiac Sonographer, Cardiac Diagnostic Unit

In addition to being a very busy weekend, it was the CDU’s first week of the new reporting and viewing system, Lumedx. Way to go, Emily!

Shout-out to the CDU, Anesthesia & Support Teams

It was another amazing week in Duke Heart – with a lot of gratitude to share! We received the following messages regarding particularly high volumes in our CDU:

“I wanted to send kudos to the CDU staff at Duke North and anesthesia today. Our board had 20 procedures today with 10 TEEs alone (including one who had to be done in an EP lab due airway requirement pre-procedure), 3 TEE/CV, and many additional DCCVs that turned into TEE/DCCV due to missed anticoagulation doses. There was also a complicated mix of cases including several mitral valve evaluations, cardiac mass evaluations, congenital cases, and severe cardiomyopathies with rapid atrial arrhythmias.

Due to the nursing leadership of Shari Starr and April Dickerson we were able to run four rooms for procedures. The nurses themselves transported patients to make sure the work flow kept flowing without delays. The rooms were turned around extremely fast and consents were done in rolling fashion both from the imaging and anesthesia teams. Our anesthesia team (CRNA Brad Deen and attending Dr. Katherine Sun) were phenomenal and helped move the day along so that procedures would get done. CRNA Chad Ragains also volunteered to help on his admin day to move the day forward. Additionally, our sonographers were amazing with having TEE probes ready to go and supporting each other with breaks. Given the high TEE volume, we actually ran out of probes stocked at north a couple of times, and the sonographers expedited the cleaning and recycling to avoid any delays. Our fellow Jonathan Hanna also was prepared to get through the procedures and masterfully made sure things were organized to get it done. He was well read on all the cases and had them all triaged for who would need anesthesia. Furthermore, his enthusiasm and excitement was contagious!

With the help of the entire team we got through all procedures on the board to hopefully avoid adding on to the next day. This could not have been done without the CDU team effort. I certainly wanted to give them a shout out for their hard work and support. They are certainly a reason why Duke Heart Center is a special place. I feel lucky to work with this team.” — Nishant Shah, MD

“Nishant – thanks so much for the note… to my knowledge, this is the largest number of procedures that we’ve ever done in a day in the CDU. It also represents a continuation of the large number of procedures we’ve been doing on a daily basis for at least the past week, inclusive of long procedures (VSD closures, paravalvular leak closures, etc…) that we’ve been doing in the cath lab as well as our usual daily census of 150-200 TTEs.

A huge thank you to the entire CDU team, including nursing, sonographers, fellows, attendings, CRNAs, anesthesia, and our colleagues in the EP lab for making this possible.

You’ll remember that I sat in a room at the end of September and had the opportunity to tell our colleagues and young faculty not to overlook the quality of the people we get to work with and that I don’t spend an instant worrying about whether our team in the CDU will always endeavor to do the “right thing”. This is yet another example of why I said that.” – Sreek Vemulapalli, MD

“Could not agree more, Sreek! Thank you so much Nishant and everyone! Our team is exceptional. Last few months we did many challenging but interesting cases. Yesterday, we had a very challenging VSD closure that lasted for 6 hours but ended with a great result. In addition, I want to thank our fellows for their hard work! And last but not least I would like to thank Anita for guiding us through every challenge! Fantastic job everyone!” — Fawaz Alenezi, MD

“While I will say it was a tiring day to get through all those cases. It was a very smooth and efficient day and it took us all to safely accomplish that and do the right things for our patients. It took the nurses there today (Shari, Hedva, Brandon, Randy, Kiah, Kelly and myself), our cardiology team John Hanna and Nishant, the anesthesia team, the sonographers (Courtney and Andrea) along with Hana our NA and the rest of the team to just know we were all busy and help support us and the rest of the team throughout the other needs. Final count was 19 procedures, 1 stress echo, among many more echos. This truly represents the CDU, the strong will and determination we all have to assure we are taking care of not only our patients but each other. – April Dickerson

“Thanks to the whole CDU/Echo team for amazing commitment to our patients, colleagues, and fellows.” – Manesh Patel, MD

“Thanks for sharing the amazing work by the CDU team today and every day. We have a tremendous multidisciplinary team in the CDU performing quality exams and unique exams and procedures every day that make Duke Heart such a tremendous place to receive care! Kudos and thanks to the CDU team!!” – Jill Engel

Incredible work, everyone! Not only is our CDU a great place for care, but we also have amazing colleagues who are happy to share their kudos and shout-outs.

2025 Duke Safety & Quality Conference Date Announced

The Duke Safety & Quality Conference will be held on April 17, 2025. Abstracts are due Sunday, January 5, by 5 p.m.

Click here to learn more and to review the submission criteria.

Duke Health Leadership Updates

Elizabeth Howe has been named Ambulatory Associate Vice President of Performance Excellence. The news was announced on Monday, Nov. 4 by Simon Curtis, COO of DHIP, and Heather Marstiller, COO of Duke Primary Care.

Morgan Jones has been named Chief Strategy Officer for DUHS. The news was announced on Tuesday, Nov. 5 by Craig Albanese, MD, CEO of DUHS.

Congrats to both!

Duke Health Baxter IV Fluid Update

Thanks to all who continue to assist in our conservation strategies!

Please continue to follow all previously communicated conservation strategies.
Updates on this situation can be found on Duke’s Baxter Operational Updates page on Sharepoint.

Reflect and Connect During the Holiday Season

The holiday season can be a busy, stressful, and isolating time for many. Duke Personal Assistance Service (PAS) is hosting three “Reflection and Connection” sessions that will use storytelling as a means of reducing stress and creating a stronger sense of connection with yourself and others.

The sessions will be held remotely via Zoom. Participants will be guided through practices of a mini-mental makeover and expressive writing to reflect and nurture empathy and a sense of meaning in response to stress – whether personal, professional, or related to current events or the stress and pressures (and joys) of the holiday season.

Writing exercises are for the sole use and benefit of participants, who are not required to share anything they write. Registration is required. You can attend any/all of the sessions offered.

Dates:

Tuesday, Nov. 26, from 4–5 p.m.
Tuesday, Dec. 17, from 4–5 p.m.
Tuesday, Jan. 14, from 4–5 p.m.

Register Here

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

Nov. 10-16: National Nurse Practitioner Week

Nov. 18-22: Grief Awareness Week

Cardiology Grand Rounds

Nov. 12: Devices in Heart Failure with Marat Fudim. 5 p.m., Zoom only.

All Duke Cardiology Grand Rounds recordings are housed on Warpwire. To access recordings please visit:

2024 CGR Recordings

NET ID and password are required. Enjoy!

CD Fellows Core Curriculum Conference

November 13: Board Review with Paula Rambarat and Nishant Shaw. Noon, DN 2001.

November 15: Fellow’s Forum with Paula Rambarat and APDs Noon, Zoom.

Grief Symposium, November 20

Duke Health will hold the 2024 Grief Symposium on Wednesday, November 20. The event is hosted by the DUHS Employee Experience team. The keynote speaker will be Rebecca Feinglos, founder of Grieve Leave, will present “Grief in Healthcare.” The symposium will also include a panel discussion on how to communicate immediately after a loss and a discussion with Dr. Tony Galanos on re-entry into the workplace after a significant loss.

Grief Symposium – Wednesday, November 20

Education Event | 8:30 – 10:30 a.m.
Grief Circles | 10:30 – 11:30 a.m.

Both in-person and virtual opportunities are available. Click here to register.

Cardiovascular Research Symposium

Dec. 3-4, 2024 at Weill Cornell’s Belfer Research Building, 413 East 69th Street, NYC.

The keynote speaker this year is Anthony Fauci, MD. Previous Duke Cardiology faculty member Geoff Pitt is the Cornell host for the December event, and Howard Rockman is the Duke organizer. Current Duke Cardiology faculty speaking include Conrad Hodgkinson, Rockman, Ching Zhu, and Sudarshan Rajagopal.

The Duke Cardiovascular Research Center and the Cardiovascular Institutes of Stanford and Penn are partnering to present the Symposium, which will rotate locations each cycle.

Registration and additional information can be found here.

Cardio Sim Creator Competition

The ACC is accepting submissions for the Cardio Sim Creator Competition, a prestigious recognition for outstanding innovation in the field of cardiac simulation.

The submission deadline is Friday, Dec. 6 at 11:59 p.m. To learn more, please visit this link.

Special thanks to Midge Bowers for alerting us to this opportunity! She is the only NP on the ACC Simulation Council and wanted to share this opportunity with all of our fellows, faculty and staff in Duke Heart.

Duke Health Hurricane Helene Relief Efforts

You can join our support efforts in a number of ways:

Check for updates on the Duke Health intranet page (NET ID required)
Sign up to volunteer with our SMAT team to deploy to provide disaster relief.
Make a financial donation to the American Red Cross.

Have news to share?

If you have news to share with the Pulse readership contact Tracey Koepke, director of communications for Duke Heart & Vascular 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 team. Please call with any questions: 919-681-2868. Feedback on Pulse is welcome and encouraged. Submissions by Noon on Wednesdays will be considered for weekend inclusion.

Duke Heart in the News:

November 1 — Jennifer Green

The Cardiology Advisor

Diabetes and Pregnancy: Cardiovascular Risk Postpartum

November 3 — Crystal Tyson (nephrology)

Time News (Cuba)

Discover the Dash diet, which can help reduce blood pressure

November 4 — Jennifer Rymer

tctMD

PAD Patients’ Views on Decisions and Outcomes Hinge on Sex, Race/Ethnicity: ELEGANCE

November 5 — Duke University Hospital

Becker’s Hospital Review