Cover Story - Memorial Hermann

For more than 30 years, Memorial Hermann Southeast Hospital has provided residents of Houston’s Bay Area with quality cardiovascular care. And since launching its Cardiac Surgery program in January 2018, the hospital’s heart and vascular program has rapidly evolved to include advanced care options to meet the needs of the area’s diverse and growing population.

“With our excellent physicians, support staff, and state-of-the-art technology, we at Memorial Hermann Southeast are able to handle many patients who were previously referred to the Texas Medical Center,” says affiliated cardiologist Rajeev Grover, MD, incoming chair of the Cardiology Department at Memorial Hermann Southeast. “Our patients take comfort in knowing they are getting the same quality of care found in the larger Memorial Hermann Health System, right here in their own community.” cause of death in the United States. About 2,000 Americans die of heart disease every day. And heart disease affects everyone. It’s not a matter of if an individual or a loved one will be impacted but when.

The affiliated heart and vascular specialists at Memorial Hermann Southeast, supported by a team of dedicated operating room nurses, ICU nurses, technicians, perfusionists, nurse practitioners, office managers and staff, provide a wide spectrum of heart care, from prevention to treatment to recovery, all delivered in a convenient, personalized setting.

Memorial Hermann Southeast boasts the latest technologies, including three state-of-the-art catheterization (cath) labs, two hybrid operatingendovascular suites, a cardiovascular intensive care unit (CV-ICU) and a dedicated cardiac rehabilitation facility. except perform heart transplants,” says affiliated interventional cardiologist Nisheeth Goel, MD, adding that transplants are performed at the Center for Advanced Heart Failure at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center.

In the United States, someone has a heart attack every 40 seconds. Memorial Hermann Southeast is an accredited Chest Pain Center and a Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) hospital through The Joint Commission, making it a premier center for the treatment of heart attack. “We have cardiologists on standby 24/7,” says Dr. Grover. “So we can take patients to our catheterization lab, where they can receive fast intervention to clear blockages and to relieve heart attack symptoms any time of the day.”

Should the need arise, Memorial Hermann Southeast affiliated surgeons have access to advanced heart devices including the world’s smallest heart pump that provides safe and effective hemodynamic support in elective and urgent high-risk PCI for a broad range of patients with complex coronary artery disease, hemodynamic compromise and comorbidities.

Some heart procedures, which traditionally required open heart surgery, are now being performed using minimally invasive techniques. For the patient, this typically means less pain and a much faster recovery. One such procedure is transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), an innovative treatment for patients with severe aortic valve disease, offered at Memorial Hermann Southeast.

“TAVR uses catheters in blood vessels to replace the aortic valve with a specially designed artificial valve,” says affiliated structural/interventional cardiologist Nadish Garg, MD. “The procedure is becoming increasingly common.

Memorial Hermann Southeast Hospital opened its present location in 1986. Although its history of care dates back to 1963, this timeline highlights the latest decade of heart and vascular milestones.

Third Cath Lab opened Vascular program 24/7 coverage began Endovascular aneurysm & thoracic aortic procedures began Chest Pain Center designation • Adult TTE Echo re-accredited by IAC-Echo cardiography • AMI certified by The Joint Commission • Upgraded three Cath Labs • Over 550 open heart procedures performed • Launched PFO Closure Program • EP expansion continues: - Transseptal EP procedures - PVI ablations - Leadless Pacemaker - LAAO procedures

Dedicated Electrophysiology (EP) program established

Hybrid operating endovascular suite opened

• New Wound Care Center opened • EP program expansion • Thoracic surgery program began • Cardiovascular Surgery Program launched: - CABG and Heart Valve Surgery - Dedicated CV ICU • Added complex procedures: High Risk PCI and Minimally Invasive TCAR Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) program launched

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Heart arrhythmia, or irregular heartbeat, can lead to heart disease, stroke or even death. The most common type of arrhythmia is atrial fibrillation, or AFib. The experienced electrophysiologists affiliated with Memorial Hermann Southeast treat all types of arrhythmias, including AFib.

“Utilizing the latest technology, we perform minimally invasive procedures, such as advanced ablations, including ablations for AFib, and monitoring and device therapies, such as implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) and pacemakers,” says affiliated cardiac electrophysiologist Saumya Sharma, MD, associate professor and cochief of cardiac electrophysiology with McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston and director of clinical research for the Complex Arrhythmia Center at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center. “And we are now pleased to offer left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) therapy for stroke prevention in patients with AFib, as an alternative to blood thinners.”

Affiliated vascular and endovascular surgeons at Memorial Hermann Southeast perform vascular and less invasive endovascular procedures to correct blood vessels outside of the heart and brain that may be narrowed, blocked or dilated. Examples include aortic aneurysm repair, balloon angioplasty, bypass surgery, carotid endarterectomy, carotid stenting and fistula creation and repair.

As affiliated vascular surgeon Sophia Khan-Makoid, MD, assistant professor with McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston, explains, “Heart surgeons and neurosurgeons focus on the heart and brain, respectively. Vascular surgeons take care of all of the blood vessels coming from the heart, going to the brain, arms, gut and all the way down to the legs.”

One thing that sets Memorial Hermann Southeast apart is its heart team approach to patient care. A heart team is a multi-disciplinary group of clinicians and specialists who collaborate to determine the best treatment plan for each individual patient.

“An example of this close collaboration is our weekly TAVR review meeting, in which representatives from cardiology, cardiovascular surgery, radiology, nursing, ICU and our support staff meet to discuss a patient’s case and plan of care,” says Dr. Grover. “This enables us to focus on the individual patient, one patient at a time, to ensure the best outcome.”

Memorial Hermann is committed to providing each patient with personalized care and the best patient experience. Affiliated interventional cardiologist Don Pham, MD, says communication plays an important role. “In Southeast Houston, we care for a very diverse population, including a large number of Vietnamese patients, and being able to communicate with them in their first language can make a big difference, especially during a stressful time in their lives.”

Dr. Goel added, “We have highly trained cardiovascular nurses who provide patients with excellent care. Nursing care is critically important. It’s what patients remember.” Memorial Hermann Southeast recently earned Magnet® recognition for nursing, one of the highest national designations for nursing excellence a hospital can receive.

Memorial Hermann Southeast is part of the Memorial Hermann Health System. The team of experienced affiliated cardiologists, cardiothoracic and vascular surgeons, clinicians, researchers and educators are developing and perfecting innovative techniques that continue to put Memorial Hermann at the forefront of advancing heart health in Houston. And through Memorial Hermann’s academic partnership with UTHealth Houston, Memorial Hermann Southeast patients have access to clinical trials and research.

As the heart and vascular program at Memorial Hermann continues to evolve, the Heart Team at Memorial Hermann Southeast will continue to uphold its commitment to advancing heart health and to providing personalized care for our neighbors in Houston’s Bay Area.

For more information about heart and vascular care at Memorial Hermann, visit memorialhermann.org/heart