CVI Heartbeats
Cardiac Surgeons Join NIH-sponsored Multicenter Study on Mitral Valve Repair
A new, multicenter study sponsored by the
National Institutes of Health seeks to develop echocardiographic techniques to predict, before surgery, the degree of recurrent ischemic mitral regurgitation (IMR) in mitral valve repair patients. Cardiac Surgery Chief
Kamal Khabbaz, MD, and
Feroze Mahmood, MD, Director of Vascular Anesthesiology and Perioperative Echocardiography, the local principal co-investigators, will be working in collaboration with the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Pittsburgh. The BIDMC team will follow mitral valve repair patients for one year after surgery. The results will allow surgeons to determine which patients are best treated with standard mitral valve repair and which are better served by valve replacement. Cardiac surgeons
Robert Hagberg, MD;
David Liu, MD; and
Venkatachalam Senthilnathan, MD, are co-investigators.
Elizabeth Kirwan, RN, is the study coordinator. The team expects to follow 100 patients over a period of five years.
Dr. Papageorgiou Performs First Device Procedure in Lawrence
CVI electrophysiologist
Panos Papageorgiou, MD, has begun performing device implant procedures at BIDMC affiliate
Lawrence General Hospital. In October, he implanted the first-ever biventricular defibrillator there. He joins interventional cardiologists
Jeffrey Popma, MD, and
Duane Pinto, MD, who have been performing caths in Lawrence for the past two years. Papageorgiou continues to maintain his Boston and Ayer outpatient practices, and anticipates seeing patients in Lawrence soon.
Dr. Liu Goes to Peru
From September 18 to October 1, CVI cardiac surgeon
David Liu, MD, participated in a cardiac surgery mission to Honoraio Delgado Hospital in Arequipa, Peru, organized by the non-profit
CardioStart International. The team of 35 volunteers from the U.S., Canada and Europe completed 15 cases during their two-week stay, mostly concerning patent ductus arteriosus and valvular diseases secondary to rheumatic heart disease. "It was probably one of the most challenging conditions I've worked in, but ultimately, equally as rewarding," says Liu.
CVI Clinicians Lead Kenya Training Mission
Eli Gelfand, MD, Director of the Outpatient Cardiovascular Clinic at BIDMC, and cardiac sonographer
Darota Bzymek, RDCS, traveled to Nairobi in October to lead a medical training mission at Kenyatta National Hospital. The nine-member team organized by the non-profit
Hearts Around the World is helping train their Kenyan counterparts to address an exploding epidemic of cardiovascular disease. This was Gelfand's second trip; they returned November 3.
Read their blog »
Gerry Bushey Named Director in Needham
Gerry Bushey, Laboratory Director at
Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Needham, has been named Administrative Director of the
CVI-Needham as well. Bushey has worked in the BID-Needham lab for 14 years. A man of many talents, he is also BID-Needham's webmaster.
Heart Walk Team Wins the Race
For the first time in recent years, the BIDMC Heart Walk team, spearheaded by the CVI, raised more dollars for the
American Heart Association than any other Boston hospital! Totals across the board were lower this year than last, a trend the AHA attributes to the economy. Overall, the 2011 Boston Heart Walk raised $1,529,537 toward its goal of $2 million. BIDMC raised $46,414.
Above content provided by the CardioVascular Institute at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. For advice about your medical care, consult your doctor.
Posted December 2011