Stories

Community donors accelerate excellence in cardiac care

Thanks in large part to philanthropic support, Providence St. Jude Medical Center has moved into a new era of complex minimally invasive cardiac care procedures. As the cardiac care program seeks to build upon its suite of advanced diagnosis and treatment offerings, the support of the community partnered with a team of preeminent cardiac experts will be key to accelerating growth and propelling the program to new heights of excellence.

The addition of a cardiovascular hybrid surgery suite through the philanthropy-funded Northwest Tower campaign opened the possibility to combine the power of highly advanced imaging,
minimally invasive techniques and traditional surgery. This capability lay the foundation to build a more comprehensive cardiac program that today offers a gamut of the most sophisticated treatments available in Southern California.

Among the newest program additions is the establishment of a Valve Clinic. The clinic brings together the expertise of cardiologists, cardiac surgeons, cardiac interventionists and cardiac imaging specialists to diagnose and treat complex heart valve disease. Through focused and collaborative assessment, patients have access to a full range of innovative treatment options from medical therapies to transcatheter
aortic valve replacement (TAVR) — an advanced minimally invasive, catheter-based procedure that replaces the aortic valve without the need for open-heart surgery.

“We are passionate about being able to offer advancements like TAVR as these minimally invasive approaches can allow patients to go home in as little as 48 hours,” explains Eugene Byun, MD, board-certified interventional cardiologist at Providence St. Jude. “It’s how cardiovascular programs are evolving,  transitioning from open surgery to endovascular approaches done through the blood vessels rather than a large incision. This is why continuing to build upon our program is critical.”

Philanthropy can further the cardiac program’s vision for growth. Just recently, community support enabled the purchase of the EPIQ Ultrasound System, an imaging technology used during both open-heart and minimally invasive procedures to offer superior visualization into the heart.

“The image quality of this new EPIQ system is like turning the lights on inside the heart to see structures,” says Aidan Raney, MD, board-certified interventional cardiologist at Providence St. Jude. “It supports faster and more precise reading and interpretation, allows us to better perform procedures like TAVR and reduces the need for additional diagnostic imaging. We
are so grateful to the generous donors who are putting these technologies into our hands and helping us improve outcomes and quality of life for our patients.”

To learn how you can support continued growth and innovation within the cardiac care program, contact the Foundation at 714-992-3033 or SJMF@providence.org.