Jul 30, 2012
WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 30, 2012) – New structural heart disease (SHD) interventions over the past decade are driving demand for advanced interventional cardiology training programs, but training in this specialized area remains in its infancy, according to new survey results released today by the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI)‘s Structural Heart Disease Early Career Task Force and e-published in Catheterization and Cardiovascular Interventions. The survey found that while the majority of interventional cardiology training programs involve structural interventions – such as transcatheter aortic valve replacement, pulmonic valve implantation and mitral valve repair – few offer dedicated SHD fellowships.
“Structural heart disease care has changed significantly in recent years, and new treatments require specialized training on complex interventions,” said Mehmet Cilingiroglu, M.D., FSCAI, associate professor of Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Heart and Vascular Institute in Pennsylvania and an author of the paper. “Our survey found SHD training remains in its early stages. As we advance care for patients, it’s essential that we establish structured training programs with standardized requirements that can help new interventional cardiologists build their skills in this important area.”
The survey of 50 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) accredited interventional cardiology programs found:
Based on the survey, the task force called for a structured curriculum for SHD training with uniform requirements. “As interventional cardiology advances, so do our education and training needs,” said J. Jeffrey Marshall, M.D., FSCAI, FACC, SCAI president and medical director of the cardiac catheterization laboratory at Northeast Georgia Heart Center. “SCAI is committed to continuously improving education programs to equip cardiologists with the necessary tools and resources to provide the best care for our patients.” The SCAI Structural Heart Disease Early Career Task Force was established in 2011 to provide a forum for interventional cardiologists who are seeking advanced SHD training or are currently involved in a SHD program.
Mar 12, 2012
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KTHV)—Arkansas Heart Hospital becomes the first place in the U.S. to use a revolutionary device that helps patients suffering from peripheral artery disease or PAD.
Click here to read more at TodaysTHV.
Mar 12, 2012
LITTLE ROCK, AR - It’s no bigger than a strand of hair, but it’s changing the way cardiologists at the Arkansas Heart Hospital operate. “It’s like working with your eyes open as opposed to working with your eyes closed,” said Dr. Ian Cawich, one of the first cardiologists in the U.S. to use the device. For the first time in the country, doctors at the Arkansas Heart Hospital are operating with the Ocelot - the first ever catheter with a camera on the end allowing doctors to see inside a clogged artery versus just the two dimensional X-ray view.
Click here to read more by Fox 16 News.
Mar 12, 2012
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KTHV) - Arkansas Heart Hospital and Interventional Cardiologists Dr. David Mego and Dr. William Rollefson became the first in this region of the United States to implant the SAPIEN transcatheter aortic heart valve as an FDA-approved standard of care.
Click Here to read article on THV.
Mar 07, 2012
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Rachelle Lamphere
Director of Marketing
Arkansas Heart Hospital
501.350.5675
rachelle.lamphere@arheart.com
Little Rock, AR March 6, 2012— Arkansas Heart Hospital announces its participation in CONNECT II, a global clinical trial conditionally approved by the FDA that gives physicians access to a sophisticated new imaging technology tool to fight Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD). The technology, called Ocelot, helps to eliminate the need for bypass surgeries and/or amputations in patients with the disease. Each year, nearly 200,000 amputations occur as a result of PAD and many of them can be avoided.
PAD, affecting between 8 and 12 million adults in the U.S. alone, is caused by a build-up of plaque in the arteries that blocks blood flow to the legs and feet. Because some blockages can become so severe and difficult to penetrate with traditional catheters, patients (unaware of other options) often resort to undergo extremely invasive bypass surgeries that result in even higher health risks and lengthy, painful recoveries. Patients over 50 often face amputation, the worst-case scenario associated with PAD.
Ian Cawich, M.D., Interventional Cardiologist and David Mego, M.D., Interventional Cardiologist and Director of Interventional Cardiology at Arkansas Heart Hospital, as part of CONNECT II, will use Ocelot on enrolled patients to help restore blood flow in completely blocked arteries in patients’ legs through a simple two-millimeter skin incision, helping to avoid amputation. They are also leading other co-investigators at Arkansas Heart Hospital.
“This technology is a big leap forward, combining inside the artery imaging and tools to deal with the blockage. For the first time, we’ve been able to combine imaging inside the artery while treating the vessel at the same time,” said Dr. Bruce Murphy, M.D., PhD, President and CEO of Arkansas Heart Hospital. “That advanced technology enables the cardiologist to visualize their progress in real time. The imaging technology is on the catheter, which is inserted into the patient.”
Ocelot is the first-ever CTO crossing catheter that can access exact regions of the peripheral vasculature where the blockages occur, while simultaneously providing physicians with visualization for real-time navigation during an intervention.
CONNECT II trial procedures using Ocelot will permit patients to leave the hospital within hours of the minimally invasive procedure and return to normal activities within a few days.
CONNECT II is a prospective, multi-center, non-randomized global clinical study that will evaluate Ocelot on 100 PAD patients with femoropopliteal CTO lesions at 17 sites, including three in the EU, where Ocelot received CE Mark in 2011. To learn more about CONNECT II and the first global patients enrolled, visit: http://avinger.com/newsroom.
Often dismissed as normal signs of aging, symptoms of PAD include painful cramping, numbness, or discoloration in the legs or feet. Hospitalization costs of PAD alone are estimated to exceed $21 billion annually, largely due to late detection and patients experiencing a decreased quality of life from invasive bypass surgery and/or amputation.
Arkansas Heart Hospital encourages those that are experiencing any of the above symptoms to ask their doctor about their risks for PAD, as early detection is the key to saving limbs.
Founded in 2007 by renowned cardiologist and medical device entrepreneur Dr. John B. Simpson, Avinger develops next-generation catheter-based technologies for the treatment of peripheral artery disease (PAD). Leveraging core competencies in medical device catheter engineering and intravascular Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT), Avinger markets Wildcat and Kittycat catheters, and received CE Mark in 2011 to market Ocelot, the first ever real-time OCT crossing catheter. www.avinger.com.
Jan 12, 2012
The Cardiac Needs of the Patient Come First
Little Rock, AR - January 12, 2012 Saline Memorial Hospital has partnered with Arkansas Heart Hospital to create a highly coordinated partnership capable of ensuring high-quality, cost-effective cardiac care. By building on the already strong reputation and resources of Saline Memorial Hospital, Arkansas Heart Hospital will continue to develop existing services, making them more efficient while introducing new services to respond to patient needs. Cardiologists from Arkansas Heart Hospital will see patients in Benton five days a week providing diagnostic, non-invasive testing and invasive services. They will also provide 24/7 call coverage to the Saline Memorial Hospital Emergency Department for acute cardiac care needs.
This is a promising new chapter for Saline Memorial Hospital and for patients, said Carla Robertson, interim CEO. This new partnership with Arkansas Heart Hospital along with the existing services provided by Saline Heart Group will enhance cardiovascular care for our community.
Saline Memorials partnership with Arkansas Heart Hospital provides patients with the opportunity to receive care from visiting specialists and allows seamless access to specialty services at Arkansas Heart Hospital when appropriate. The close relationship with Arkansas Heart Hospital is also evident through professional relationships between physicians, allied health staff, administrators and all employees who work collaboratively throughout the system.
Arkansas Heart Hospital will provide an unparalleled experience as the most trusted partner for cardiac care. Arkansas Heart Hospital is committed to providing quality healthcare close to home with clinics in 30 communities throughout the state of Arkansas. Our goal is to provide this community high quality cardiac care and the partnership of Arkansas Heart Hospital and Saline Memorial Hospital just makes sense. There is a long rich history of several decades of physicians from both hospitals collaborating in patient care. The opportunity to rekindle this relationship is exciting and one that both partners are looking forward to, said Dr. Bruce Murphy, President and CEO of Arkansas Heart Hospital.
http://www.arkansasbusiness.com/article.aspx?aID=129793.54928.141935
http://arkansasmatters.com/fulltext?nxd_id=497962
http://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2012/jan/15/heart-matter-20120115/?trilakes
http://www.bentoncourier.com/content/smh-arkansas-heart-hospital-begin-cardiac-care-partnership
Aug 01, 2011
Official press release on name change of Little Rock Cardiology Clinic to Arkansas Heart Hospital Clinic.
Click here to read the press release, in PDF format.
Statement of Physician Ownership: Arkansas Heart Hospital is partly owned by physicians and meets the definition of a physician-owned hospital as specified in title 42 CFR 489.3. A list of physician owners is available upon request.