Page 13 - Mecklenburg_Medicine_February-2018

At the Hospitals
n First in the World
Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute’s
clinical research team has achieved a first-
in-the-world milestone. Through national
and international trials, the team is dedicated viruses usually make us sick.
to using innovative techniques and the latest
technology to help patients. Antibiotics are powerful medications that
Congratulations to cardiologist Michael
Rinaldi, MD, FACC, and Eric Skipper,
MD, along with the entire Sanger team for
treating the first patient in the world in the
EARLY TAVR trial.
The EARLY TAVR trial is researching
if early intervention through transaortic
valve replacement, a minimally invasive
procedure, will make a difference for people
with severe aortic stenosis. A common
heart valve problem, aortic stenosis, occurs
when the main valve in the heart narrows,
causing blood to build up in the heart’s main
pumping chamber. bacteria, also known as a bacterial infection.
The team has successfully advanced
a “minimalist” approach to TAVR,
performing more than 90 percent of
procedures with conscious sedation and
without surgical incisions. With the region’s
shortest post-TAVR hospital stays and
lowest readmission rates for complications,
Sanger is one of only a handful of centers
in the country chosen to participate in these
important trials. need it — for example, when you have a cold
n New Option for Heart Failure Care
Carolinas HealthCare System patients
soon will have a new option for heart
failure care. The U.S. Food and Drug
Administration approved the HeartMate 3
Left Ventricular Device in late August.
Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute
was one of 69 centers chosen for the
MOMENTUM 3 trial, which compared
the HeartMate 3 LVAD to the HeartMate
II LVAD in advanced-stage heart failure
patients. Initial data shows that advanced
heart failure patients who receive the new
pump had a reduced risk of reoperation due
to pump malfunction.
n Got Germs?
Everyone has germs in their body called
bacteria and viruses. There are “good
bacteria” that help keep us healthy, but
can fight infections and save lives by killing
bacteria in your body. While antibiotics can
help cure your bacterial infections, they won’t
help you fight a virus like a cold or the flu —
and taking an antibiotic when you don’t need
it can have serious consequences.
The good news: If you know the difference
between bacteria and viruses, and when
it’s appropriate to take antibiotics, you can
fight infections properly and feel better the
healthy way.
Antibiotics are drugs that kill bacteria
and can only treat sickness that is caused by
This includes strep throat, urinary tract
infections (UTI) and many skin infections.
Antibiotics don’t work on sickness caused
by virus germs, also known as a viral
infection. This includes most flu and common
cold symptoms, such as sore throats, sinus
infections, chest colds and bronchitis.
If you take an antibiotic when you don’t
or the flu — it can make you feel worse and
make your illness last longer. To learn more,
visit carolinashealthcare.org/germs.
n Levine Children’s Hospital and
the HEARTest Yard Commit to
Region’s First Cardiac Create
Neurodevelopmental Program
The Greg Olsen Foundation, in partnership
with Carolinas HealthCare System’s
Levine Children’s Hospital, announced The
HEARTest Yard Fund has pledged to support
a cardiac neurodevelopmental program, which
will be the most comprehensive program of its
kind in the southeast.
The HEARTest Yard, which was founded
by Carolinas Panthers All-Pro tight end Greg
Olsen and his wife Kara, provides families of
infants treated for severe or complex congenital
heart disease at Levine Children’s Hospital
with services including in-home private nursing
care, physical therapy and speech therapy at no
charge. As their own son who was born with a
congenital heart defect has grown, they realized
Mecklenburg Medicine • February 2018 | 13
a need for additional programs and services to
ensure children can reach their fullest potential.
Beyond the physical challenges, up to 50
percent of pediatric heart surgery patients
may demonstrate neurodevelopmental deficits
which can impact language, fine motor skills, or
vision. They may be diagnosed with behavioral
issues (from depression to attention deficit
hyperactivity disorder) or they may develop
learning disabilities that can limit educational
opportunities or even job choices.
Many of these issues can be hard to detect
until later in life. Without access to the right tests
and programs, even teachers and pediatricians
may fail to notice the subtle differences. This
program will provide key services to bridge that
gap and ensure patients and their families have
access to the right care. Services will include:
• Early diagnosis. By conducting the right tests
at the right time, experts will learn the extent
of a child’s problems early on so they can
intervene at the point of greatest impact and
set appropriate expectations for parents.
• Comprehensive evaluation. While every
child is different, all will benefit from the
collective expertise of a team of pediatric
cardiologists, neuropsychologists, physical
and occupational therapists, speech
therapists, dieticians, social workers and
education specialists.
• Coordinated care. By arranging tests and
interventions through a single clinic, the care
team will receive a complete picture of a
child’s well-being, while also making access
easier for parents.
• Leading research. One of the clinic’s
goals is to learn more about this growing
patient population and conduct research to
develop the most effective, evidence-based
treatments.
Levine Children’s Hospital has been
named a Best Children’s Hospital by U.S.
News & World Report in multiple specialties,
including cardiology and heart surgery. With
the only pediatric heart transplant program
in the greater Charlotte region and the most
technologically advanced catheterization labs
in the Carolinas, the hospital is one of the top-
ranked cardiology and heart surgery programs
in the nation. Combining the clinical expertise
and care with a unique neurodevelopmental
program will give patients and their families the
best opportunity to not just grow, but to thrive.