Home » Uncategorized » Duke Heart Pulse — December 22, 2024

Duke Heart Pulse — December 22, 2024

By Tracey Koepke in Uncategorized on December 22, 2024.

Chief’s message: Holiday coverage and reflections on the year

As we come to the last two weeks of the year – it is a time for our teams in Duke Heart to hopefully get some time with loved ones, family, and friends. This leads to reflections from the last year and the thoughts of the year to come. As we prepare for continued challenges in ensuring we can help our community and country improve our cardiovascular health – we will spend an upcoming special Pulse to reflect on our year in review.

This last week we have had quite busy clinical services often with extra faculty and fellows being asked to help care of patients in many of our areas across Duke Heart. We wanted to send a special thanks to all of you that are spending some of the upcoming weeks ensuring we continue to help those in need in our community. This episode of the pulse also has several shout outs for the tremendous teamwork across Duke Heart to care of patients in need in the last few weeks.

Finally, the work is done with thanks and joy – and we are including a picture of the elf on the shelf that showed up in the cath lab.

Wishing you all a happy holiday season and healthy new year.

Highlights of the week:

Happy Holidays!

As we wrap up the year and keep up with the seasonal festivities already underway, we want to express our gratitude for all you have done this past year. We are so glad to have a wonderful team of colleagues and friends within the Duke Heart & Vascular team!

We hope everyone has a safe, happy, and healthy holiday and that you can take some time to step away from work to be with your loved ones, take time for yourself, and reflect on what matters most to you.

Please get some well-deserved rest and get ready for 2025! Enjoy the holidays — Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa — and Happy New Year.

Pulse returns on Jan. 12, 2025.

A Holiday Message from Dean Klotman

… and from DUHS Leadership

Campus Holiday Celebrations:

Gratitude Meal at Duke Hospital

Anyone working on the Duke University Hospital campus on Wednesday, December 25 is invited to enjoy a complimentary holiday meal in recognition of the season. Our leadership team is grateful for the opportunity to express their special appreciation for team members who will be working to care for our patients, enabling their colleagues to spend time with their families and friends.

Dec. 25: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Atrium Cafe

Dec. 25: 6 – 9 p.m., Atrium Cafe

Guidelines:

Staff must present a valid Duke badge for entry.
Managers and team members may pick up meals for others (maximum of 10 meals).
One meal per team member working on December 25; this is to ensure everyone is served.
We encourage you to return to your preferred work area to enjoy your meal.

Details, including a department meal pick-up schedule, can be found on the DUH SharePoint celebration page: https://prodduke.sharepoint.com/sites/DUH-Intranet/SitePages/DUH-Holiday-Celebrations-2024.aspx

Hanukkah with President Price and Coach Scheyer (virtual)

Jewish Life at Duke, in partnership with the Duke Jewish Alumni Network, is hosting a virtual Hanukkah candle lighting on Sun, Dec. 29 at 7 p.m. ET with Duke’s Campus Rabbi and Jewish Chaplain Elana Friedman, President Price, and Coach Jon Scheyer.

Duke students, alumni, parents and families, faculty, staff, and friends of all religious/cultural identities are welcome. Folks need to register in advance to receive the Zoom link.

For a full event description and the registration link, please visit: Hanukkah 2024.

Shout-out to Best & Thompson of CT Anesthesiology

We received the following note this week from Schuyler Jones, MD:

“Drs. Ryan Best (CT Anesthesiology fellow) and Anne Marie Thompson (CT Anesthesiology attending) assisted our cath lab team in a post-operative patient who had ST elevation MI. They provided really excellent management of a critically ill patient in the cath lab and helped our team tremendously.” — Schuyler Jones, MD

Way to go, Ryan and Anne Marie! Thanks for all you do!

Shout-out to the Cath Staff, Nurses & ECMO Team!

We received the following note of recognition from Rob Harrison, MD this weekend regarding outstanding care provided to a patient last week. The message highlights the exceptional teamwork done by our team and our capabilities as a Heart Center.

“Last week in one of the evenings, we had a patient arrive hypotensive to the CICU from the cath lab after PCI for a STEMI. Our fellows did a rapid bedside ultrasound that showed a large effusion with tamponade and the patient had to immediately go back to the cath lab for a pericardial drain. The patient returned around shift change with the drain in place and initially was improving but the drain continued to have brisk output. The patient went into multi-pressor shock, required emergency transfusion, intubation, and rapid transport back to the lab, and also required new access with PIVs and a fellow-placed central line.

The fellows involved in the care of this patient included Jonathan Hanna, Vince Delgado, Aarti Thakkar, and Seamus Hughes. They worked incredibly hard to help diagnose and stabilize the patient.

The nursing care of this patient was phenomenal. The second round of profound shock came as a surprise but without delay, there were at least 6 or 7 nurses in the room all performing independent tasks in parallel (titrating pressors, getting additional pressors and pushes, drawing labs, obtaining access, calling RT and 115 for emergency airway, grabbing airway supplies, ordering emergency release blood, etc.).

The Cath lab staff were also excellent in their care of the patient who ultimately required ECMO cannulation and then the OR for washout and a coronary repair. I don’t know the names of all the cath lab staff who were present, but the providers included fellows Dennis Narcisse and Dan Loriaux, attendings Manesh Patel and Imran Aslam. Adam Williams and the ECMO team were prompt in their arrival to the cath lab and quickly got our patient to the OR after ECMO cannulation, as well as Willard Applefeld who provided echo imaging in the cath lab.

The patient is alive, on ECMO, and hopefully going for chest closure soon.

Cases like this highlight why I am incredibly proud to be a Duke cardiologist and CICU attending.” — Rob Harrison, MD

Additional messages from faculty regarding this case include:

“Really great work across the board.” – Schuyler Jones, MD

“This highlights the incredible teamwork and skills across Heart. – Kristin Newby, MD

“Thanks Rob to you the fellows and the great team helping care for this patient.” – Manesh Patel, MD

Amazing work, team!

Boyer Receives DAISY Award

Congratulations to the Daisy Award Winner, 7W RN Alexander Boyer who was nominated by a family member of a 7W CTICU patient for the extraordinary care he provided.

Nurses every day go above and beyond to not only provide patients and families with excellence in clinical care but also compassion. At The DAISY Foundation, we aim to honor them by showing our profound gratitude for all that they do. The DAISY Award is a recognition program to celebrate and recognize nurses by collecting nominations from patients, families, and co-workers. It is run by our partners as a way to thank nurses for the care and kindness they provide.

Way to go, Alexander!

DUH and Supply Chain Update

In a message from Hospital leadership to DUH team members on Friday, Dec. 20, the following update was provided:

Team, Over the past several weeks, we have become increasingly aware of the challenges our team is experiencing with our hospital supply chain. Safety, quality, and our team are our highest priorities, and we understand the extra work, concern, and stress these challenges place on our team in our very busy environment. We are committed to improving our performance.

Despite heroic efforts to address the causes of these issues, we have not been able to fully address the concerns. Over the upcoming weeks, Hospital Operations and Supply Chain will take a series of significant steps to investigate issues and resolve problems. More communication of these next steps will be forthcoming.

Beginning Saturday, December 21, all staff and providers should complete the following steps to ensure we identify and manage any safety concerns related to supplies during the upcoming holidays:

Call the STAT room at 919-385-1600 if there are items needed urgently (within 30 minutes). We are working to add staff to support these needs.
Utilize our daily management system and Tiered Huddles to report supply concerns that might impact patient safety. Please use your Tier 1 huddle to report concerns, including any urgent needs supported by the STAT room. If you are unable to attend, please escalate to the charge nurse or area leadership.
Leaders will receive the supply escalations during our Tier 2 huddles and log the information in a centralized spreadsheet. Here is the link for Tier 2 leaders: supply chain tracking log
Issues will be assigned to supply chain and operations leaders for immediate resolution.
This list will be monitored by our hospital senior leadership and supply chain leadership during Tier 3 to ensure completion.

We appreciate your partnership as we address near-term supply needs. We will work diligently to address these problems and solve the larger systemic issues.

(signed by Greg Pauley, Mary Martin, Chantal Howard, Lisa Goodlett, and William Trofi)

Governor-elect Stein Names Sangvai as Cabinet Appointee

Governor-elect Josh Stein announced his cabinet appointees last week to lead key state agencies and departments, including Devdutta Sangvai, MD, former president of Duke Regional Hospital, as head of NC Health and Human Services.

The appointees include a range of individuals from across state and federal government, the private sector, and several veteran state government leaders appointed by current Governor Roy Cooper. The nominees will be subject to confirmation by the NC Senate next year.

Sangvai currently serves as vice president for population health management at Duke University Health System and is a professor of family medicine, pediatrics, and psychiatry at the Duke University School of Medicine.

Congrats, Dev!

Giving Opportunity for Western NC, Through Dec. 31

Please consider a contribution as part of the Duke Department of Medicine’s effort to support the Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC) in Asheville, NC, for its 2024 Holiday Fundraiser. So far, 23 faculty and three trainees have donated more than $3,400. With more than 2,000 faculty, staff, and trainees, if everyone gave at least $1, we could make a difference in supporting those affected by Hurricane Helene. No contribution is too small!

MAHEC has been a lifeline for Western North Carolina, delivering health care and training the next generation of providers who serve its rural and underserved communities. Some learners were forced to relocate to continue their education while visiting medical students scheduled to train in the area had to be turned away.

For some perspective on the needs there and to read about the effort (and to donate if you can!) please see the full story here.

GME Office Holiday Hours

In observance of the Christmas Holiday, the GME Office will close at noon on December 24th and will remain closed until December 29th. For urgent issues, please contact Dr. Catherine Kuhn at (919) 970-2226. The one exception during this time is December 24 when Dr. Staples will be covering at (919) 970-7367.

In observance of the New Year Holiday, the GME office will close at noon on December 31st and will remain closed through January 1st. Please contact Dr. Betty Staples at (919) 970-7367 for urgent issues.

ICYMI: Duke Arts Staff Offers Must-Watch Movies for Holiday Season

In preparation for the winter holidays, the Duke Arts staff members were asked to share their favorite movies to watch during the holiday season. This list includes classic films like How the Grinch Stole Christmas, A Charlie Brown Christmas, and The Polar Express. But beyond these beloved picks, our team also shared some unique favorites that feel just right for this time of year. From animated adventures to visually stunning dramas, and even a dark twist on Santa Claus lore, these picks offer something a little different for your holiday watchlist. Check out the list here.

Pulse Holiday Break

Please note that Pulse will not be published on Sunday, Dec. 29 or Sunday, Jan. 5. We may send a year in review blog with start of the year.

We will return in full on Sunday, Jan. 12. Enjoy the season!

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

Cardiology Grand Rounds

If you missed any of our CGR’s from the past calendar year, 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!

2025 Duke Heart CMEs – Save the Dates!

The following CME activities, sponsored by Duke Heart, have been scheduled. Registration is not yet open, but stay tuned for additional information.

February 18, 2025: Remote Patient Care: A New Era in Cardiovascular Disease Management; 5:00-7:30 pm Eastern on Zoom; will be free
April 26, 2025: Duke Structural Heart Symposium (live event at Trent Semans Center in Durham)
June 7, 2025: Duke Heart Failure Symposium (live event at Durham Convention Center in Durham)
October 31, 2025: 17th Annual NC Research Triangle Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium (live event at Durham Convention Center)

The following event is being planned for Fall 2025; date has not yet been set:

October: Duke Cardiac Imaging Symposium (live event, location TBD)

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.

Remaining date:

Tuesday, 14, from 4–5 p.m.

Register Here

Women’s Health Symposium – Feb. 21, 2025

Save the date! A women’s health symposium will be held on Feb. 21, 2025, in the Great Hall of the Trent Semans Center.

Organized by the Duke/NCCU BIRCWH Career Development Program, the Women’s Health Symposium “Scientific Meeting on All Aspects of Women’s Health and the Influence of Sex as a Biological Variable on Health Conditions” will be held on Friday, Feb. 21, 2025, at the Trent Semans Center Great Hall. The featured speakers are Sharonne Hayes, MD, a cardiologist and professor of cardiovascular medicine at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and Cynthia Kuhn, PhD, a professor of pharmacology and cancer biology at the Duke University School of Medicine.

Featured events include an interactive session on navigating the “bumps” along your research path and a poster session. For more details about the event, or to register and submit your poster topic click here.

2025 Duke Safety & Quality Conference

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.

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:

December 12 — Kristin Newby and Laurie Sanders (neurology)

Parkinson’s News Today

NIH consortium to explore gut-brain connection in Parkinson’s

December 13 — Jennifer Green (endocrinology)

HCP Live

Jennifer B. Green, MD: Implementation of Evidence-Based Therapies for T2D

December 14 — Nishant Shah

Spectrum News Charlotte

Doctor explains why winter brings higher risk of heart attacks

December 15 — Robert Lefkowitz

News & Observer