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Lee Memorial Health System has been ranked No. 1 in the nation for
its minimally invasive cardiac surgery program. Using the
minimally invasive technique, cardiothoracic surgeons
Brian Hummel, M.D., and Paul DiGiorgi, M.D., are able to repair
and replace valves in the heart without having to fully open the
chest cavity. The minimally invasive procedures—which can be used to
replace mitral, aortic and tricuspid valves—are still very serious
open heart procedures, but they get the job done with less trauma,
risk of infection and recovery time for the patients, says Dr.
Hummel.
The smaller incisions also make the surgeries seem less daunting
to patients, most of whom are back on their feet within two to three
days, he also says. “We have been doing these minimally invasive
procedures for five or six years. We slowed down our program in the
beginning to make sure we had familiarized
ourselves with the equipment and procedures. Then, about two to
three years ago, our comfort level had grown and so did our
caseloads,” he says.
That is when the equipment manufacturers for these minimally
invasive procedures took notice, says Kandy DeWitt, RN, BSN,
MPA, CNOR, Director of Surgical Services. They asked LMHS to
act as mentors to other hospitals and health systems who wanted to
begin their own programs. Now, LMHS is the main referral center for
surgeons and surgical teams who wish to open their own minimally
invasive cardiac surgery programs. “We get teams from other
organizations multiple times per year. It is usually the surgeon, an
anesthesiologist, a perfusionist, nurses and a physician assistant,”
she says.
Perfusionists operate a heart-lung machine during cardiac
surgeries.
Surgical teams from across the nation have trained at HealthPark
Medical Center, which has an ideal operating room for training, says
Dr. Hummel. “Lee Memorial Health System is not
a teaching organization, so we do not have a lot of residents vying
for observation space in the Operating Room. We have plenty of room
for visiting surgeons and their surgical teams to observe the
procedures and learn as much as they possibly can,”
he says.
The surgical team at HPMC is also very enthusiastic about showing
other organizations the program, he says. “Our staff is very
committed to the training, and patient outcomes have been very good.
I think this really speaks to the quality of our program,” he says.
Brian W. Hummel, M.D.
Paul L. DiGiorgi, M.D.
Gulfcoast Cardiothoracic Surgeons
2675 Winkler Ave., Ste. 440
Fort Myers, FL 33901
239-939-1767
To learn more information about cardiac services at LMHS,
click here. |
