Posted By Carolyn Weaver, Executive Consultant
In looking for an idea for the blog, I came across this site from Mayo Clinic: http://www.mayoclinic.org/cardionews-rst/. Check it out!
Archive for the ‘Informational’ Category
Thomson Reuters’ 100 Top Hospitals
~ This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 14th, 2009 at 3:00 am
Congratulations to all of those who made the list (March 30, 2009)! There is no doubt that these programs set the standard for care in the United States and the impact that this designation can have does change the way that care is delivered. Again congrats! http://provider.thomsonhealthcare.com/News/view/?id=2165
Jumpstarting A Mature Cardiovascular Program - Thoughts For The Weekend
~ This entry was posted on Friday, April 10th, 2009 at 3:00 am
Posted By Carolyn Weaver, Executive Consultant
How can you jumpstart a mature cardiovascular program? Plan, plan, and plan! And, of course, re-energize the stakeholders. We have had several calls in the last couple of weeks regarding this topic, and each of the programs is looking to schedule a planning retreat and update their business plan!
Total Artificial Heart (TAH) Update
~ This entry was posted on Monday, March 30th, 2009 at 3:00 am
Posted by Carolyn Weaver, Executive Consultant
While browsing the local paper (http://www.lvrj.com/news/41964527.html) I came across an article about a man from Las Vegas who had an artificial heart implanted. It caused me to update my knowledge about the subject.
In 1982, Dr. William DeVries of the University of Utah implanted a 61-year-old dentist named Barney Clark with an artificial heart called Jarvik 7. A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2004 said that patients on the device are successfully transplanted 79 percent of the time. The artificial heart has been placed in nearly 800 patients in North America and Europe.
Today, there are two names for artificial hearts: mechanical circulatory support systems (MCSSs) and total artificial heart (TAH). Currently, there are two types of TAHs. They’re known by their brand names: the CardioWest and the AbioCor. The main difference between these TAHs is that the CardioWest is connected to an outside power source and the AbioCor isn’t. The CardioWest has tubes that, through holes in the abdomen, connect from inside the chest to an outside power source. The AbioCor TAH is completely contained inside the chest. A battery powers this TAH. The battery is charged through the skin with a special magnetic charger. Energy from the external charger reaches the internal battery through an energy transfer device called transcutaneous energy transmission, or TET. An implanted TET device is connected to the implanted battery. An external TET coil is connected to the external charger. Also, an implanted controller monitors and controls the pumping speed of the heart.
For pictures and more info see: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/tah/tah_what.html and http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=1820&page=R1.
Regarding the story about the man from Las Vegas: last week, Chuck Besen got a new heart!
Cardiovascular Business
~ This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 25th, 2009 at 12:35 pm
If you are not familiar with Cardiovascular Business, you should be. This free online and print magazine is one of the newest and up-to-date resources about patient, practice, and technology management for the specialties of heart and vascular. John O. Goodman, President of J O Goodman & Associates, Inc. serves on the editorial board. Chris Kaiser is the Editor. I highly recommend it! http://www.cardiovascularbusiness.com
