For this month’s Spotlight, JMHPN attended a recent lecture by Gary Gershony, MD,
interventional cardiologist and Director of Cardiovascular Research, Education and
Technology, to get an update on what’s new and exciting in this area.
“The past five years have brought breathtaking change in cardiovascular service line offerings at John Muir Health. I couldn’t be more excited to have the privilege of participating in this field,” says Dr. Gershony. “When you talk about what we are able to provide now to our patients, it’s truly amazing.”
“The cardiovascular program at John Muir Health is truly unique. We are so fortunate to have such a talented team of physicians and staff who are laser-focused on innovation, quality and delivering a superb patient experience,” says Kim Burch, Executive Director of Cardiovascular Services. “Several years back we set a vision to be the preeminent cardiovascular program in Northern California and developed a strategic plan focused on this vision. We have not wavered from our plan, continually adding new services, bringing the most advanced technology to the community and always improving outcomes and the patient experience.”
In his presentation, Gary Gershony, MD, detailed three new procedures that we use to treat our patients, and touched on some of the clinical research studies that have put John Muir Health on the map in terms of participation in national and international cardiovascular trials.
TAVR: Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement
This minimally-invasive procedure helps patients with severe aortic stenosis
(a narrowed aortic valve) who are not able to have traditional open heart surgery-- or who are at very high risk. The procedure delivers a replacement bioprosthetic aortic valve into the old damaged valve’s place, via a balloon-expandable device, through a catheter usually placed percutaneously into the femoral artery.
“About 3 ½ years ago, we first started performing this procedure, bringing together interventional cardiologists, cardiac surgeons, imaging cardiologists, cardiac anesthesiologists, interventional radiologists, and valve clinic RNs,” Dr. Gershony says. “These professionals came together with their different areas of expertise and established a true ‘Heart Team’ at John Muir Health.”
