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Hoag Opens Pioneering Heart & Vascular Institute

Media Contact:

Heidi Pallares

Heidi.Pallares@hoag.org

949/764-6939

Newport Beach, Calif., November 19, 2012 — Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian has opened a newly remodeled Hoag Heart & Vascular Institute, introducing the latest technological advances in cardiovascular patient care.

The Institute brings under one roof Hoag’s comprehensive range of cardiac care services, including the first electrophysiology (EP) cardiac catheterization lab of its kind and a new hybrid cardiac surgical suite.

“Hoag Heart & Vascular Institute is another example of our commitment to provide our patients with the finest and most advanced health care possible,” says Richard Afable, M.D., M.P.H., president and CEO of Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian. “Our unique catheterization lab, which features soothing, ambient lighting, and the inviting, new lobby are designed to make our patients as comfortable as possible. Along with the technology-enhanced conference room, Hoag's Heart & Vascular Institute was planned to serve as a model for the future of cardiovascular care.”

Indeed, the Institute houses an unusually comprehensive array of services and facilities that are rarely found in one location, including:

  • Five catheterization labs, including the Allan & Sandy Fainbarg Electrophysiology Cath Lab Suite, the only one if its kind in the region
  • 13 bed pre- and post-catheterization lab procedure unit
  • Three cardiovascular operating rooms, including the Bob & Marjie Bennett Hybrid Cardiovascular Surgical Suite
  • 14 bed pre- and post-procedure area
  • A new lobby to provide central access to patients and visitors, as well as a central registration and check-in counter
  • A 625-square-foot conference room for physician/family meetings; made possible by a donation from Ronnie and Byron Allumbaugh. The new conference room features a 10’ x 6’ monitor display with live feed interactive video conference capability
  • Custom monuments and a dedicated wall to community members who have donated to Hoag Heart & Vascular Institute over the years

More enhancements are in store for the Institute. Scheduled for completion by January 2014, the facility’s final phase will include construction of patient and meeting rooms, and house the William S. & Nancy E. Thompson Heart Valve Center; specialized cardiac clinics; pacemaker and arrhythmia education and monitoring programs; and all non-invasive diagnostics. Once complete, all cardiac services will be housed in one central, easy to access location for the community.

And the comforting ambience is carrying over to its exterior spaces as well. Planned enhancements include a “healing garden,” lush new landscaping, and a turnaround portico that will improve traffic flow to and from the Institute.

Allan & Sandy Fainbarg Electrophysiology Cath Lab Suite

Some of the major state-of-the-art services and facilities housed in the Institute are the Allan & Sandy Fainbarg Electrophysiology Cath Lab Suite, and the Bob & Marjie Bennett Hybrid Cardiovascular Surgical Suite. Hoag opened both suites earlier this year, further positioning the hospital as a national leader in cardiovascular patient care programs and services.

The Allan & Sandy Fainbarg Electrophysiology Cath Lab Suite is the first electrophysiology (EP) cardiac catheterization lab of its kind and features a unique patient-care space designed to offer the complete integration of leading edge EP technology with a comprehensive patient experience.

EP systems are brought together into one control pad at the physician’s fingertips, in the line of sight with the patient, through a customized 55” monitor. The EP cath lab suite features the West Coast’s first suspended “Zero Gravity” radiation shield and because procedures can last anywhere from one to six hours, it was also designed with the comfort of physicians and other medical team members in mind.

Hoag’s EP cath lab suite enables physicians and clinicians to use advanced technology for many procedures used to examine patients’ hearts and diagnose a full spectrum of diseases and potential problems. While some procedures involve general anesthesia, the majority use mild sedation, meaning patients are aware of the procedure and their surroundings. The Philips Ambient Experience allows patients who are only mildly sedated to choose themed visual images – they can visit the beach, mountains and other settings – that are projected onto the ceiling of the EP suite and accompanied by lights and sound, creating a relaxing environment and providing a positive distraction.

Bob & Marjie Bennett Hybrid Cardiovascular Surgical Suite

More than twice the size of a standard operating room, the Bob & Marjie Bennett Hybrid Surgical Suite features equipment and technology designed specifically for Hoag. Equipment includes a Siemens Artis Zeego robotic imaging system outfitted with 3D and 4D reconstruction software, and the suite was designed to enable physicians to perform virtually all types of heart procedures without having to change locations.

A revolutionary procedure, performed only in the new hybrid CVOR, is Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR). Until recently, surgical aortic valve replacement has been the only treatment option for aortic stenosis (narrowing of the aortic valve due to calcium build up). However, in patients deemed inoperable, few other options exist. Hoag is the first and only center in Orange County to offer Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) — a minimally invasive technique for replacing a disease aortic heart valve through non open-heart surgery.

During a TAVR procedure, an extensively-trained multidisciplinary team of cardiologists, interventional cardiologists, cardiac anesthesiologists and cardiac surgeons deliver a collapsible artificial valve into the heart using a catheter, inserted under advanced imaging through a small incision in the groin vessel or between the ribs. The artificial valve is expanded inside the native valve by inflating a balloon, and almost immediately goes to work. Since the inception of the TAVR program in January 2012, Hoag’s expert multidisciplinary team has completed 15 successful cases.

About Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian

Hoag is a non-profit regional healthcare delivery network in Orange County, California that treats nearly 30,000 inpatients and 350,000 outpatients annually. Hoag consists of two acute-care hospitals, seven health centers and five urgent care centers. Hoag Hospital Newport Beach, which has served Orange County since 1952, and Hoag Hospital Irvine, which opened in 2010, are designated Magnet hospitals by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). Hoag offers a comprehensive blend of health care services that include five institutes providing specialized services in the following areas: cancer, heart and vascular, neurosciences, women’s health and orthopedics through Hoag’s affiliate Hoag Orthopedic Institute. Hoag has been named one of the Best Regional Hospitals in the U.S. News & World Report Metro Edition. National Research Corporation has endorsed Hoag as Orange County’s most preferred hospital for the past 15 consecutive years and for an unprecedented 15 years, residents of Orange County have chosen Hoag as the county’s best hospital in a local newspaper survey. Visit www.hoag.org.

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