Heart Healers
It is estimated that by 2035, more than 45% of Americans will develop some form of cardiovascular disease, with the direct medical cost of treating these patients expected to reach $748.7 billion a year. As healthcare providers ready themselves for this uptick, CHS hospitals without onsite heart surgery programs are enhancing their ability to treat higher acuity CV cases in house as opposed to transferring patients to other hospitals.
Like all cardiac catheterization labs without onsite cardiac surgery capabilities, a number of CHS hospital cath labs have faced restrictions as to what procedures they can and cannot perform. But now, guided by the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Imaging (SCAI) and the American College of Cardiology (ACC) guidelines released in January 2023, 13 CHS hospitals without onsite cardiac surgery programs are now – or soon will be – performing higher-acuity procedures.
New studies and guidelines have demonstrated that more complex PCI procedures performed in cath labs without onsite surgical backup have very low rates of complications and similar outcomes to PCIs performed at open heart facilities. Careful case selection and judgment regarding a patient’s overall clinical risk is still required; however, elective PCI procedures without on-site surgical backup may now include unprotected left main lesions, Chronic Total Occlusions (CTO), degenerated vein grafts, and the use of plaque modification devices referred to as atherectomy devices.
With an emphasis on ensuring that each element of the SCAI guidelines – from staffing requirements to post-procedural care – South Baldwin Regional Medical Center in Foley, Alabama worked with CHS CV Services to enhance its cardiovascular service offerings. The cath lab director, David Godfrey, and his team exemplify the kind of leadership and collaboration that make South Baldwin an ideal facility to expand capabilities.
“We were able to start doing these higher level procedures in March – just two months after SCAI released its guidelines – due to the experience and ongoing relationships we had in place with our cardiologists and team members,” says Godfrey.
South Baldwin’s story is one of proactive adoption of evolving healthcare needs, with a focus on improving patient outcomes and driving positive change in cardiovascular services. Through its collaborative efforts and strategic initiatives, CHS hospitals are not just following guidelines, they’re participating in the future of cardiovascular care through a concerted investment in services and patient well-being.
“We want to be able to take care of every person who comes to us when they need healthcare,” says Godfrey. “And if we are capable of providing that care safely and with good outcomes in Foley, Alabama, we’re going to take care of our patients right here.”
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Helping people prevent heart disease is another way our healthcare systems are contributing to healthier living. Earlier this year, our 28-Day Healthy Heart Challenge inspired more than 100,000 people to improve their cardiovascular health and overall wellness. By the end of the campaign, CHS had sent over 2.6 million emails with tips to improve heart health to more than 100,000 subscribers.
Now, we’re getting ready to do it again with our new campaign – Leap into Heart Health!
Since 2024 is a leap year, we’re going to encourage people to “leap” into heart health by “hopping” into bed earlier, “skipping” past stress, “hurdling” over bad habits and with other actions that can “jumpstart” better heart health. Your hospital will begin promoting the campaign in January, and we hope you’ll encourage your patients to participate!
