TENET Healthcare’s DELRAY MEDICAL CENTER INTRODUCES NEW BREAKTHROUGH IN HEART pump implantation

The new technique is designed to expedite patient recovery and improve patient prognosis.

November 23, 2015 – The Center for Advanced Heart Therapies at Delray Medical Center in South Florida now offers a minimally invasive procedure for implanting ventricular assist devices (VADs), or heart pumps. A VAD is an alternative for patients who do not qualify for a heart transplant or a temporary solution for patients who are too sick to survive while awaiting a new heart.

The new implantation approach requires a small incision between the patient’s ribs on the left side of the chest, compared to traditional open heart surgery, which involves a large vertical incision through the center of the chest. Potential benefits include faster recovery times, reduced risk of infection, minimized blood loss and a decreased chance of scarring around the heart.

“This innovative surgical technique at the Center for Advanced Heart Therapies is ideal for patients who are too sick to undergo traditional open heart VAD surgery,” said Dr. Brian Bethea, regional medical director of cardiovascular surgery at Tenet Healthcare’s Florida Region. “I am proud to be part of a team that continuously strives to be at the forefront of advancements in cardiac care and expand the limits of treatment.”

Congestive heart failure is a progressive and often fatal condition that weakens the heart so it is no longer able to pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs. The disease not only significantly limits life expectancy — with a typical prognosis of two to three years — but it robs patients of their quality of life, often leaving them too short of breath or too tired to go out, travel or even dress themselves.

VAD implantation brings new hope to patients by potentially increasing their quality of life and enabling them to live longer than previously possible.

To refer a patient or speak with a member of the Tenet International Team please call toll free at 1-855-836-3846 or email [email protected].

ABOUT THE TEAM AT THE CENTER FOR ADVANCED HEART THERAPIES

 Brian Bethea, MD, Cardiac Surgery

Dr. Bethea is board-certified by the American Board of Surgery and American Board of Thoracic Surgery. He specializes in minimally invasive heart valve replacement and repair, catheter-based heart therapies including: transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) – replacing the aortic valve via a catheter rather than traditional open heart surgery, thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR), aortic, mitral, and tricuspid surgeries and a minimally invasive approach to left ventricular assist devices (LVAD) for advanced heart failure. His practice is based in Delray Beach.

From 1995 to 2008, Dr. Bethea completed extensive education and training in cardiothoracic surgery. He graduated medical school from the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and completed his residency at The Johns Hopkins Hospital Department of Surgery in Baltimore. Dr. Bethea also completed his fellowship and research fellowship at The Johns Hopkins Hospital.

Phillip Habib, MD, Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiology

Phillip Habib, MD is an advanced heart failure and transplant cardiologist who came from Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida to The Center for Advanced Heart Therapies at Delray Medical Center. He graduated medical school from Northeast Ohio Medical University and completed internal medicine residency at The Ohio State University. He completed general cardiology fellowship at University of Florida in Jacksonville in addition to an advanced echocardiography fellowship at University of Pittsburgh. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine. Dr. Habib has a number of interests including: cardiac resynchronization therapy, mechanical circulatory support, pulmonary arterial hypertension, valvular heart disease, advanced cardiac imaging, advanced heart failure, and cardiac transplantation.

Meghan Ciganik, BSN, RN, CHFN, Lead VAD Coordinator

Prior to coming to Delray Medical Center, Meghan Ciganik spent 4 years at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, Texas caring for patients with ventricular assist devices (VADs) and heart transplant recipients. As a VAD Coordinator, Meghan is an integral part of the multidisciplinary team at The Center for Advanced Heart Therapies at Delray Medical Center. Her prior cardiovascular nursing experience spans seventeen years at Duke University and the University of Wisconsin Hospital System. Meghan went to nursing school in Green Bay, Wisconsin.