New state-of-the-art cath and electrophysiology labs highlight the investment

By Adrienne Wolfson, MSN, BHA, RN CCRN

Every February, America’s hearts are at the forefront, literally and figuratively. The statistics tell the story. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, heart disease is the leading cause of death for men, women and people for most racial and ethnic groups in the U.S. In fact, one person dies every 33 seconds from cardiovascular disease in the U.S.

During American Heart Month in February, the Jim Moran Heart and Vascular Center at Holy Cross Health in Fort Lauderdale is celebrating the investment that has been made to bring the latest, leading-edge, top-quality cardiac care to patients.

That investment in cardiac advancements is elevating Holy Cross Health’s cardiac care and is highlighted by the opening of new Cath labs and electrophysiology labs. This will continue to allow Holy Cross to bring the latest technologies, the latest clinical trials and the latest therapies to patients. The Cath labs feature the newest state-of-the-art imaging and additional devices that will enhance the patient experience and the quality of care we can provide by allowing us to integrate new technologies in the field of interventional cardiology for coronary artery disease. Our new Philips lab can perform IVUS (Intravascular Ultrasound Imaging) and IFR (Instantaneous Wave-free Ratio) which measures the resting pressure between coronary stenosis in the cardiac cycle.

The other field that is growing quickly is the field of structural heart disease, where we will be able to care for all valvular heart disease as well as congenital heart defects. This has been a transformational collaboration between the physicians, the hospital and the community. Additionally, we will be opening a new Cardiac Imaging Unit (CIU) that provides services such as TTE, TEE, Cardioversions and insertion of loop recorders. This unit will be all inclusive offering Pre, During and Post procedure care; a “One-Stop-Shop”.

Holy Cross Health, with a robust team of experienced interventional cardiologists who are on-call 24/7 to perform emergency and scheduled cardiac procedures, has gained national attention from U.S. News & World Report and American Heart Association among others as a leader in heart and cardiovascular care. U.S. News & World Report named Holy Cross a High Performing hospital for Diabetes, Heart Attack, Heart Failure, Hip Replacement, Knee Replacement and Stroke on its list of 2023-2024 Best Hospitals This is the highest distinction a hospital can earn for the U.S. News Best Hospitals Procedures & Conditions ratings. Additionally, Holy Cross Health received the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines® – Heart Failure Gold Plus quality achievement award for its commitment to improving outcomes for patients with heart failure, meaning reduced readmissions and more healthy days at home.

In addition, Holy Cross Health was the first in the state to use the iCT 256-slice scanner to offer Cardiac CT Angiography (CCTA), which allows physicians to detect early-stage life-threatening illnesses; perform a Paravalvular Leak Closure using a transapical approach, an option for patients who are not eligible for open heart surgery; and use the Prime ECG Vest, which may provide physicians with additional data beyond a traditional electrocardiogram in some cases.

Holy Cross Health was also the first in the tri-county area to offer the Medtronics MyCareLinkTM Patient Monitor, a remote cardiac monitoring system that transmits data to clinicians from anywhere in the world with a cellular signal. Plus, we were the first organization in Broward County to achieve The Joint Commission’s Advanced Certification in Heart Failure; perform Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacements on high-risk patients; offer Induced Hypothermia, which increases the chances of survival of cardiac arrest and improves neurological outcomes following cardiac arrest; and implant Reveal LINQTM, the smallest, wireless, long-term, cardiac monitor available.

Adrienne Wolfson is Executive Director Nursing Administration, Holy Cross Health.