Chief’s message: Coach K to give CV Grand Rounds February 25th in Heart Month:
We are excited to announce that Mike Krzyzewski (Coach K) will give cardiovascular grand rounds on February 25th from 5-6pm at Duke Hospital. Coach will give a talk on Leadership, Teamwork, and Healthcare. This will be an opportunity for our heart and vascular teams to interact and hear from Coach K on the importance of our teams with an opportunity for questions near the end of the talk. I have included a slide I use from some talks that highlights the commitment of long-standing learning. We appreciate Coach K for his willingness to join us and look forward to the grand rounds.
Highlights of the week:
Duke EP Hits Record
We learned this week that our Duke Electrophysiology team surpassed 1000 atrial fibrillation ablations in the calendar year 2024 (the exact number was 1069)!
“This is a huge milestone for our program,” says Jonathan Piccini, MD, Duke’s Director of Cardiac Electrophysiology. “It’s an incredible accomplishment from an incredible team of staff, nurses, clinicians, and patients!”
We could not agree more — congratulations to the entire EP team. Way to go!
61st STS Annual Meeting Held in Los Angeles
The 2025 annual meeting of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons has been taking place this weekend, Jan. 24-26, in Los Angeles. We have several faculty and care providers serving as moderators and presenters, including:
Edward P. Chen, MD, served as a moderator for a session on Inherited Aortic Disease.
Lynn McGugan and Melissa Burkett invited speakers who co-presented a session called APP Continuity of Care in Aortic Surgery.
Thomas D’Amico, MD, presented A Need for Ethics Education: A Chair’s Perspective and moderated a session on Surgery for Stage IV Lung Cancer: Getting Surgeons in the Game for Advanced Disease.
Brittany Zwischenberger, MD, presented Quality Improvement Initiatives to Improve Outcomes in Women: Translating Scientific Findings into Clinical Practice and RECHARGE Hybrid: Revascularization of Underrepresented Groups with minimally-invasive CABG plus PCI – for which she earned a Thoracic Surgery Foundation Award for her research. She also moderated a session on Top Adult Cardiac Surgery Abstracts.
Kamrouz Ghadimi, MD, debated during a session on Inhaled Nitric Oxide vs. Prostacyclin – (arguing Pro Prostacyclin).
Matt Hartwig, MD, moderated a session called Modernized Solutions for Lung Failure, From Bench to Bedside.
Well done, all!
Vizient Webinar Held; Patel a Featured Presenter
On Thursday, Jan. 23, Manesh Patel, MD was the featured presenter for a Vizient Cardiovascular Service Line webinar. He presented on Interesting Science from the AHA 2024. The event, held virtually and recorded, is part of the Vizient Network Cardiovascular Service Line Committee series.
Jill Engel is in her second year serving as the Chair of the Vizient Cardiovascular Service Line Committee and says she has already heard great feedback from the network members on the presentation.
Thanks, Manesh, for representing Duke Heart & Vascular!
Candidates Sought for Zhu Lab, CVRC
Two positions are currently available in the laboratory of Dr. Ching Zhu, a newly recruited cardiac electrophysiologist and physician-scientist in the Duke Cardiovascular Research Center. Zhu’s team is seeking a postdoctoral associate and a research technician.
The Zhu Lab pursues interdisciplinary research centered on unraveling the mechanisms by which the sympathetic nervous system controls susceptibility to lethal cardiac arrhythmias. Postgraduate trainees or premedical students interested in dedicating 1-2 years to full-time basic/translational research are encouraged to apply.
More details on the positions and Dr. Zhu’s research can be found here: https://duke.is/5/uyut.
Tier 2 Visitor Restrictions
Respiratory illnesses throughout our community remain high. We remain in Tier 2 Visitor Restrictions.
Remember:
- Masking is strongly recommended throughout patient care areas and continues to be required in some areas.
- Masks should be worn properly. Cover your nose and mouth at all times, and do not wear masks around your chin, neck, or on your forehead.
- Duke Health staff members throughout hospitals, the schools of medicine and nursing, and all health care units must wear their Duke ID prominently on outer clothing between shoulder and waist with the photo side facing out.
- Visiting hours are from 8 a.m. – 9 p.m.
- A maximum of two visitors at a time are allowed per patient.
- Visitors must check in at the hospital information desk to receive a visitor badge to enter inpatient areas.
- All visitors must be age 12+. (Visitors in some clinical areas must be age 18+.)
- Minors are required to be attended by an adult age 18+ at all times.
- Visitors must check out upon departure at a kiosk or with information desk staff.
- Visitors with fever, cough, or other flu-like symptoms should not visit.
Please note: Additional visitation and masking precautions may apply to certain patient populations, including without limitation, COVID-19/Special Airborne Contact, oncology, end-of-life, and overnight visitors. Please follow all unit guidelines. Exceptions to visitation restrictions may be granted based on special circumstances, including without limitation, to permit Compassionate Care Visitors.
Thanks for all you do to keep our patients and team members safe!
Upcoming Events & Opportunities
Save The Date! National Wear Red Day is Friday, Feb. 7, 2025.
Cardiology Grand Rounds
Jan. 28: Whole Genome Sequencing for Gene Elusive Cardiovascular Disease with Dr. Sara Coles. 5 p.m., via Zoom.
Feb. 24: Transforming HFpEF Management in the Age of Precision Medicine with Dr. Sanjiv Shah of the Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern Medicine. 5 p.m. DN 2002 and via Zoom.
Feb. 25: Teamwork, Leadership, and Healthcare with Mike Krzyzewski. 5 p.m., in-person only (TBD).
If you missed any of our CGR’s from the past year, all Duke Cardiology Grand Rounds recordings are housed on Warpwire. To access recordings please visit:
NET ID and password are required. Enjoy!
CD Fellows Core Curriculum Conference
January 29: EP presentation with Joshua Sink. Noon, DMP 7E39.
January 31: PAD-Aorta with Jennifer Rymer. Noon, Zoom.
DCRI Research Forum to Feature Cook – Jan. 28
We hope you’ll join us for the next event in the DCRI Research Forum series, featuring Nakela L. Cook, MD, MPH, the Executive Director for the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), who will join us for a fireside chat from Noon-1 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 28. Cook will share insights from her career journey, discuss her vision and priorities for PCORI, and how the organization is fostering innovation in clinical research.
What: DCRI Research Forum: A Fireside Chat with Nakela L. Cook, MD, MPH, Executive Director for the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI)
When: Noon-1 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025
Where: Zoom
Giving Opportunity for Western NC Extended Through January 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, the effort has received 53 gifts for a fundraising total of $13,960. The need remains great, so additional gifts in any amount are welcome. Thanks to all who have already donated!
The donation website will remain open for the rest of January 2025 for anyone who may still want to contribute. To donate online, visit https://duke.is/9/g2gr or send a check payable to “MAHEC” to:
MAHEC Department of Philanthropy
121 Hendersonville Road Asheville, NC 28803
Memo: Duke
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 please see the full story here.
Upcoming Duke Heart CMEs
Tues., Feb. 18: Remote Patient Care: A New Era in Cardiovascular Disease Management; 5:00-7:30 p.m., EST. Zoom. Free. Registration, now open, is required. Please visit this link for details and to register.
The following CME activities, sponsored by Duke Heart, have been scheduled. Registration is not yet open, but stay tuned for additional information.
- 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 planned for Fall 2025; the date has not yet been set:
- October: Duke Cardiac Imaging Symposium (live event, location TBD)
Women’s Health Symposium – Feb. 21, 2025
A women’s health symposium will be held on Feb. 21, 2025, in the Trent Semans Center’s Great Hall.
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.
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:
January 17 — Jonathan Piccini
Medical Product Outsourcing
Medtronic Announces Primary Results from the DEFINE AFib Clinical Study of the LINQ Family
January 17 — Jonathan Piccini
Cardiovascular Business
Medtronic heart rhythm technologies on full display at AF Symposium 2025
January 21 — John Alexander
Street Insider
January 22 — Manesh Patel
SF Gate
Why ‘cough CPR’ is not the lifesaver it’s made out to be
*this story also appeared in the Houston Chronicle
January 23 — Duke Health
Becker’s Hospital Review
Top-ranked hospitals for stent placement, by state
January 23 — Audrey Blewer (Family Medicine & Comm Health)
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
You’re unlikely to survive cardiac arrest. How Tarrant County wants to change that
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