Cardiovascular HealthJune 2009 Your guide to a healthY heart

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cardiovascular health

CONTENTS 2 Foreword:60YearsofQuality

2 InvasiveManagement

3 HeartTestsCanSaveYourLife

4 StandardsforHeartAttackCare

4 CardiovascularDisease

4 Strokes

5 KeepingMembersHealthy

6 HeartSurgeryattheCuttingEdge

7 PanelofExperts

CArDIOvASCuLArHEALTHa special supplement produced by Mediaplanet and distributed by the Chicago tribune.

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Contributors: MarlenePiturro,PhD PeterHKehoe,OD KirkvanHyning richardLeonard EmilyZyborowicz

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a private practice with strong academic

affiliations offering expertise in a broad

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1713 Central St. Evanston & 2501 Compass Rd. Glenview

Sixty years ago, 14 cardiovascu-

lar pioneers met to form a new

society, The American College

of Cardiology, which would one day

become the world’s leading cardiol-

ogy education institution. This year,

the American College of Cardiology

celebrates 60 years of quality and edu-

cation. Since 1949 we have grown sub-

stantially in membership, purpose, and

impact. This year, the American College

of Cardiology celebrates 60 years of

quality and education.

Beginning in the 1980s, the ACC

emerged as a leader in the develop-

ment of guidelines, performance

measures and other clinical documents

designed to help physicians put qual-

ity into practice. The ACC’s National

Cardiovascular Data Registry (NCDR),

launched in 1997, is now the recognized

resource for measuring and quantify-

ing outcomes and identifying gaps in

the delivery of quality cardiovascular

patient care in the United States.

Last year, the College launched the

Quality First campaign, a visionary

campaign well-suited to the legacy

of our founders. Quality First aims to

transform health care from the inside

out by bringing our physicians and

cardiac care team members to the

forefront of reform efforts.

The ACC has dubbed 2009 as the

“Year of the Patient,” in which the needs

of patients will be at the forefront of all

the College’s efforts throughout the

year and beyond.

In 1910, William Mayo, founder of

the Mayo Clinic, said “The best interest

of the patient is the only interest to be

considered. Nearly 100 years later, these

words still ring true. As the Obama

administration, Congress and others

begin to tackle health care reform, the

ACC will continue its efforts to make

the interests of patients be the driving

force behind any systematic overhaul,

and at the center of all we do.

60 Years of Quality:

With the advent of numerous

technological advances

in equipment and the

development of minimally, invasive

techniques, the management of many

cardiovascular disease states are rapidly

undergoing revolutionary change. A

change that where patients treatment

options are less risky, cosmetically

appealing, and require less time in the

hospital. Shorter hospital stays correlates

to lesser incidences of certain infections

which in turn reduces healthcare costs.

These advances are allowing us to treat

patients that were otherwise considered

too high risk for conventional surgery

and achieve clinical outcomes that are

just as good if not better.

The main stay of these advances

evolve around the accomplishments

that are being made with stent technol-

ogy. Applying drug coatings to stents

that we place in arteries of the heart

have enabled physicians to treat more

complex coronary artery disease and

lessens the likelihood that recurring

blockages will develop within the

stent. Most of the cases of blockages

in the arteries that supply blood to

the lower extremities can now be

routinely treated without any surgical

intervention by utilizing minimally,

invasive techniques and advanced stent

technology. Stents are also being used

to manage patients with acute strokes

and other neurovascular disorders.

Incorporating stents into surgical graft

material has revolutionized how we

treat patients with aneurysmal disease

involving the major artery in the body,

called the aorta, as well as other smaller

arteries. Similar stents have been incor-

porated into artificial heart valves and

we are presently in the early stages

of being able to perform heart valve

replacements and repairs without any

open surgical intervention.

The timing cannot be any more ideal

as we face the challenges of a rapidly

growing aging population, increasing

prevalence of cardiovascular disease,

and a health care economic crisis.

Ask the Expert: Minimally Invasive Management

PAUL A JONeS, MDChair of Cardiovascular Services, Mercy Hospital & Medical Center

A message from Alfred Bove, M.D., F.A.C.C., Incoming President, American College of Cardiology

Special Thanks to Major Cardiovascular Heatlh Contributors

cardiovascular health

A chest x-ray may reveal an

enlarged heart, symptomatic

of many cardiac and related

diseases.

An electrocardiogram (EKG) records

your heart’s rhythm, frequency of

beats and electrical conduction. It

can show left ventricular thickening,

abnormal heart rhythm, and signs of

a heart attack.

If basic tests reveal problems,

patients may be referred to a heart

specialist for a full battery of tests. Alan

Zunamon, M.D. and Micah J. Eimer,

M.D. at Cardiovascular Associates of

Glenbrook and Evanston (CAGE) note

that advanced blood tests can refine

cardiovascular risk prediction. Among

these are tests for c-reactive protein,

lipoproteins, and advanced lipid tests

known as VAP and NMR.

They also point to a non-invasive

procedure using ultrasound to measure

plaque in the carotid artery, known as

CIMT. They say the test is less expen-

sive than a CT scan of the heart, uses

no ionizing radiation, and is equally

effective. “The CIMT exam can help

identify patients at risk before they

have heart attacks,” notes Dr. Eimer. “

With problems such as obesity increasing

in younger people, we also screen for

heart problems at a younger age.”

Among other advanced tests is an echo-

cardiograph to examine the heart’s

structure and motion, and an exercise

stress test to measure heart functions

while the patient walks on a treadmill.

Holter and event monitors are

another diagnostic tool. Worn by

patients for up to 30 days, the monitors

record the heart’s electrical activity

for up to 48 hours to diagnose

arrhythmias. Most event monitors,

unlike Holter monitors, do not record

continuously but record a limited num-

ber of abnormal events concerning the

heart’s electrical activity. Because there

is a limit to the amount of data an event

monitor can record, at a certain point,

the recorded events must be transmitted

using a phone line for analysis.

LifeWatch Corp, a leading provider

of the next generation of wireless

cardiac monitors, uses Ambulatory

Cardiac Telemetry (ACT) to automati-

cally capture abnormal heart rhythms.

It then transmits the data via cell phone

technology to a Joint Commission

accredited call center staffed by

certified cardiac technicians 24/7/365.

These technicians immediately inter-

pret the data and notify the physician

of specified.

A nuclear heart (or MUGA) scan uses

an isotope injected into the blood-

stream to produce images of the heart’s

blood supply. MUGA indicates how well

the heart’s chambers are working and if

the heart has been damaged by a heart

attack. For a coronary angiography test,

a special dye is injected in or near the

heart so that X-ray images can then

reveal blockages in the coronary arteries

and areas of the heart weakened or

damaged from lack of blood.

With a range of cardiac diagnostic

tools available, consult your physician

to ensure you get appropriate testing.

Heart Tests Can Save Your LifeDiagnostic tests, both basic and advanced, can spot heart disease symptoms and risks, paving the way for lifesaving interventions. Many are part of a routine physical exam. Your physician listens to the heart for signs of arrhythmias (irregular heart-beats) and the lungs for abnormalities that strain the heart. Blood pressure is another key test; an elevated reading red flags risk for heart disease and stroke. A blood test reveals levels of total choles-terol, LDL (“bad” cholesterol), HDL (“good” choles-terol), as well as triglycerides. High cholesterol may increase the risk of a heart attack or stroke. Other blood tests indicate levels of sodium and potassium (essential electrolytes) and glucose, an indicator for diabetes, which also affects heart health.

BY: RICHARD LEONARD

lifeWatch corp.o’hare international center ii

10255 West higgins road, ste 100, rosemont, il 60018

877.774.9846 • users@lifewatch.com

LifeStar™ ACT (ambulatory cardiac telemetry)

is an automatically activated system that requires no patient intervention

to either capture or transmit an arrhythmia when it occurs.

Never Miss A Beatto learn more, visit www.lifewatch.com

...tests, both basic and

advanced, can spot heart

disease symp-toms and risks, paving the way

for lifesaving interventions.

cardiovascular health

The American Heart Associa-

tion launched its “Get With the

Guidelines” program in 2000 to

create universal awareness among doc-

tors of state-of-the-art care for victims

of myocardial infarction (heart attack).

These guidelines also help patients and

their families ask the right questions

about care after a heart attack.

The guidelines call for:

• Delivery of aspirin to the patient in

the ambulance

• Paramedic-applied eKG en-route to

the hospital

• Time from the door of the hospital

to a surgical insertion of a balloon

catheter or stent into the blocked

artery of no more than 90 minutes.

• Prescription of beta blockers such as

Toprol or Atenolol during treatment

• Delivery of a lopressor via IV in the

hospital and in pill form as an out-

patient treatment

• An LDL cholesterol check

• Prescription of ACe inhibitors to

lower blood pressure

• Consultation on a post-discharge

exercise program and other ap-

propriate lifestyle adjustments such

as smoking cessation and weight

management

“More than 1,600 hospitals are using

the guidelines with compliance in

the 85%-95% range”, said Dr. Vincent

Bufalino, a cardiologist and president

of Midwest Heart Specialists, a group

of more than 50 physicians practicing

in the Chicago area. “When we started,

compliance was closer to 70%.” “About

300,000 Americans die of heart attacks

annually before a doctor gets a chance

to help,” said Dr. Bufalino. “We can fix

about 95% of those conditions if we

have a chance.”

Dr. Bufalino notes that innovations

such as blood thinners, stents and

balloon catheters that clear blockages

more quickly and less intrusively than

open-heart surgery, have not only

improved survival rates but also the

patient’s quality of life. “By clearing the

blockages more quickly, we also reduce

damage to the heart, which helps pre-

vent a second attack,” said Bufalino.

Apart from the right tests and

prescriptions following an MI, the

most important factor in determining

long-term success following a heart at-

tack is up to the patient.“We discharge

patients with a three-ring binder

detailing necessary lifestyle changes.”

Summing up, he added: “Heart disease

is largely a lifestyle disease and if we

can get patients to cooperate, we can

dramatically improve the outcomes.”

Standards for Heart Attack CareBY: SeAN DOUGHeRTY

In the 1970s, a patient suffering a heart attack who made it to the hospital alive had an 80% chance of survival. Today, that figure is 98%, thanks to advances in treatment that have become medical standards.

Strokes are the third leading

cause of death from cardio-

vascular disease according to

the American Heart Association. If not

treated promptly they may lead to per-

manent life-altering damage. During a

stroke, blood flow to the brain is cut off

due to arterial blockage (an embolism)

or hemorrhage (an aneurysm). Stroke’s

warning signs are:

• Sudden numbness or lack of func-

tioning in the face, arms, or legs,

often on one side of the body

• Sudden dizziness or shortness

of breath

• Sudden confusion, difficulty speaking

or understanding

• Acute headaches

• Sudden vision impairment in one or

both eyes

Ali Shaibani, MD, Director of the

Neurointerventional Surgery Program

at Northwest Community Hospital and

Associate Professor of Radiology and

Neuroradiology at Northwestern Uni-

versity’s Medical School , is an expert in

stroke treatment. He notes that “quite

a few patients have had symptoms

for several hours” before admittance

to a hospital. “Patients may confuse

symptoms with fatigue, believing

they could “sleep it off’ when immedi-

ate treatment is needed,” he adds.

A transient ischemic attack (TIA), or

‘mini stroke’, may have stroke-like

symptoms but leave no lasting damage.

TIAs are often precursors to strokes and

can occur several times before serious

damage happens. TIAs are the result

of slowed blood flow to the brain,

inhibiting oxygen metabolism without

completely damaging the brain.

Prompt and effective stroke treat-

ment usually includes clot busting

agents to promote blood flow. An IV

tPA, or tissue plasminogen activator, is

the first recourse against strokes and

must be administered promptly after

symptoms appear. The tPA is a throm-

bolytic agent, meaning it dissolves

blood clots.

Intra-arterial treatment is a more

invasive but highly effective method

for removing blood clots. In this pro-

cedure the clogged artery is opened in

order to remove the clot. The treatment

has been used successful in victims

up to eight hours after their stroke,

Dr. Shaibani confirms. Regardless of

the efficacy, this method and other

invasive procedures are usually avoid-

able provided the patient responds

quickly to a tPA.

Strokes: Their Symptoms and TreatmentsBY: KIRK VAN HYNING

Contrary to popular belief, the

gender most vulnerable to de-

veloping cardiovascular disease

is not men, but women. The American

Heart Association (AHA) reports that

more women than men die each year

from cardiovascular disease and that

one in three women have some form

of this stealthy health menace. “The

biggest issue with women is their un-

recognized risk of developing cardio-

vascular disease. It’s the leading killer

of women in the U.S.,” says Dr. Savitri

Fedson, MD, cardiologist and assistant

professor of medicine at the University

of Chicago Medical Center.

Cardiovascular disease occurs when

blood vessels become constricted or

clogged, leading to devastating effects

such as heart attacks, strokes, and heart

failure. Martha Gulati, MD, cardiologist

and associate director of the Center

for Women’s Cardiovascular Health

at Northwestern Memorial’s Bluhm

Cardiovascular Institute, says women

should identify and address their risk

factors for developing cardiovascular

disease as early as possible. While

there are risk factors for cardiovascular

disease that women have no control

over such as age, race and family his-

tory, women need to focus on lowering

their modifiable risk factors including

hypertension, high cholesterol, obesity,

diabetes and smoking.

The AHA’s guidelines for prevent-

ing cardiovascular disease in women

include eating nourishing foods like

fruits, vegetables and oily fish, reducing

saturated fat intake, and performing

moderate exercise for 60-90 minutes

each day. Moreover, women can take

a more proactive approach to prevent-

ing this disease by understanding what

their blood pressure readings and

cholesterol levels mean. Cardiologists

recommend that a baseline cardiac as-

sessment be conducted while women

are in their early twenties. Knowing

the estimated risk for developing car-

diovascular disease from both a short-

term and lifetime perspective provides

a greater opportunity to prevent dam-

age to the vascular system.

Women who already have car-

diovascular disease should discuss

treatment options with their doctor

to reduce the risk of having a major

cardiovascular event. There are

several types of medications that

can be prescribed, including aspirin,

beta-blockers, angiotensin-converting

enzyme (ACe) inhibitors, and a family

of drugs called ‘statins’. Women often

exhibit less obvious symptoms of CVD

than men, particularly when having

a heart attack, This can leave female

patients susceptible to not receiving

a correct diagnosis and adequate care,

even in the e.R. “It is not uncommon for

women to leave the hospital without

the proper medication. Sometimes

there are reasons why medication is

not prescribed, but then the patient

needs to know why,” says Dr. Gulati.

Cardiovascular Disease: The Leading Killer of WomenBY: eMILY ZYBOROWICZ

cardiovascular health

BY: MARLeNe PITURRO, PHDKeeping Members Heart Healthy

There is no magic pill for lowering

the cost of cardiovascular

disease (CVD) but adopting

a healthy lifestyle comes close. CVD,

which the Centers for Disease Control

estimates will cost the U.S. more than

$304.6 billion in health care services,

medications and lost productivity in

2009, is a prime target and a challenge

to save both money and lives. Many

healthcare providers understand the

benefits of preventing CVD. “We know

that by managing weight loss, exercise,

and smoking cessation we could

eliminate 80 percent of cardiovascular

disease; but getting and keeping people

motivated to adhere to cardiac well-

ness isn’t easy,” says Dr. DeShazer,

MD and Humana, Inc’s Illinois Market

Medical Director. every dollar invested

in wellness programs returns $3.48 in

medical cost savings and $5.82 in de-

creased absenteeism (www.infinitehe-

althcoach.com).

Healthcare providers partner with

both local and national employers to

help engage its employees in wellness

programs. examples include health risk

assessments, educational health activi-

ties, online diet and exercise planners,

and discounts to health and wellness

services. For instance, Humana holds

educational health festivals with Sun-

set Foods, supermarkets in Highland

Park, providing healthy foods for all

employees. To incentivize employees

that participate and complete health

risk assessments, Sunset Foods raffle

four 10-speed bicycles.

Health risk assessments are corner-

stones for wellness programs because

it identifies members at risk for CVD

and other diseases. The national

prevalence of CVD to date is 6.5%.

“employers require their employees

to complete a health risk assessment;

often incentivizing them with gift cards,

airline miles, and a contribution toward

health club membership,” explains Dr.

DeShazer. The assessment and medical

claims data help healthcare providers

flag health plan participants at risk

of CVD, which often attacks without

symptoms.

To boost members’ adherence to

wellness programs, many healthcare

providers have on staff nurses contact

at risk employees to coach members

individually. These nurses are trained

to identify likely motivators for each

member. It’s a constant challenge to

keep motivation and achievement high

for healthcare providers and their phy-

sician and nurse staffs. “We are pests in

that we try different modalities in an

effort to help people stick to a diet,

exercise and stop smoking”, concludes

Dr. DeShazer.

We know that by managing weight

loss, exercise, and smoking cessation we

could eliminate 80 percent of cardiovascular disease; but getting and

keeping people motivated to

adhere to cardiac wellness isn’t

easy...

cardiovascular health

Cardiovascular Fast Facts

Over time, human hearts go

awry. Their blood vessels get

clogged, they skip beats or

accelerate without warning, their valves

malfunction, mysterious viruses attack

them, and they even wear out. When a

heart falls prey to these misfortunes,

the results are serious and may be life

threatening. But advances in cardiot-

horacic surgery, including minimally

invasive coronary artery bypass surgery

to unclog cardiac arteries; implantable

electrophysiological devices that correct

arrhythmias; artificial hearts (actually,

left ventricular assist devices) that keep

failing hearts pumping; and, when all

else fails transplants; give hope.

Cardiothoracic surgery has made

quantum leaps in the past decade.

Some surgeons use robots to make

small incisions in the chest wall and

access delicate heart structures that

would be difficult to access otherwise.

Others operate in hybrid O.R.s, operat-

ing rooms that are equipped for both

surgical and catheter-based cardiac

procedures so that a surgeon can perform

diagnostic tests and then correct heart

malfunctions in one procedure. For

example, the surgeon might repair the

heart’s main arteries with grafts, and

insert an endovascular stent to open

other blocked arteries. Cardiothoracic

surgeon Valluvan Jeevanandam, MD

and Chief of Cardiac and Thoracic

Surgery at the University of Chicago

Medical Center (UCMC) explains:

“Operating through a small incision

we have less blood loss and pain, and

shorter recovery times because of

improved surgical techniques.”

Minimally invasive surgery has another

important benefit. It allows surgeons

to operate on beating hearts rather

than use heart-lung machines, which

incur risks for hearts stopped and then

restarted after surgery.

Heart failure, a condition that afflicts

five million Americans and killed

287,000 million of them last year

according to the Centers for Disease

Control, has not traditionally been

corrected by surgery. That is changing,

although heart failure surgery is still

experimental. At UCMC, a cardiotho-

racic team led by Jai Raiman, MD and

PhD , has achieved promising results in

a clinical trial using the Acorn Cardiac

Support device, a knitted polyester

graft that physically contains the

exhausted heart and prevents it from

further enlargement. One year out,

patients with the Acorn graft were

stable. Another UCMC cardiothoracic

team is conducting an early clinical

trial on the CardioPlus, an implantable

intra-aortic balloon pump that assists

the left ventricle of patients with

advanced heart failure. Unlike tradi-

tional LVADs, which act as a bridge to

transplantation, the CardioPlus might

be permanent for HF patients who

are not transplant candidates. “The

CardioPlus deflates counter to the

heart beat, so it’s giving the heart a

second pulse to make it work better,”

says Dr. Jeevanandam. “We implant the

pump in the aorta and the device is

attached to a five pound unit the size

of a hard cover book. Patients go home,

can work, drive, and go shopping

but maybe not bungee jumping,” he

adds. It also allows the patient to turn

the pump on and off as they wish,

important for patients accustomed to

controlling their disease through diet

and medication.

As for heart transplants, UCMC does

them and multiple organ procedures

such as heart-lung, heart-kidney,

heart-liver, and heart-kidney-pancreas.

“About 30 percent of our transplants

involve more than one organ because a

weakened heart can cause problems with

other organs,” says Dr. Jeevanandam .”

The UCMC transplant team improves

outcomes by operating on patients

before their condition deteriorates; 50

percent of their patients wait only one

month for transplantation versus the six

month national average reported by

United Network for Organ Sharing

(U.N.O.S), a national database that

matches donated organs with recipients.

Overall, as surgical solutions for

complex cardiac conditions continue to

blossom, even patients and their fami-

lies who fear the worst will find hope.

Heart Surgery At The Cutting EdgeNumber of surgeries performed annually...· Coronary artery bypass

surgery: 448,000

· Value repair/replacement

surgery: 104,000

· Heart transplant: 2210

(10,000 on waiting lists)

· Other cardiovascular related

surgeries: 139,790

Source: American Heart Association, 2006, 2007

For patients in need of heart surgery, traditionally, there’s only been one answer. But while open-heart surgery may be right for some, it may not be the best approach for others. Is there another way to treat these patients?

At the University of Chicago Medical Center, we ask questions like this every day. Questionsthat are revolutionizing the way heart disease is treated, and empowering us to provide the best option for each patient.

Our cardiac surgery team is internationally known for its advanced surgical solutions to treat heart failure, heart valve disease and other conditions. Having performed more minimally invasive heart surgeries than any other medical center in the state, we’re pushing the boundaries on the use of non-conventional approaches to cardiothoracic surgery — as well as groundbreaking device therapies — that give patients more and better options. And we make it a priority to educate patients on their options, so they can make the most informed decisions for themselves.

It’s how we’re changing the lives of people with heart disease all over the world. How can we change yours?

discover for yourself.Learn about the discoveries we’re making in cardiac surgery and other areas.

discover.uchospitals.edu | 773-702-2500

we believe there is.

Could there be more than one way to approaCh heart surgery?

As surgical solutions for complex cardiac conditions continue to

blossom, even patients and their families who fear the worst will find hope.

BY: MARLeNe PITURRO, PHD

cardiovascular health

As a leader in cardiothoracic surgery, what

improvements do you see for the near future?

I think this is a very exciting time in cardiac

surgery with a lot of dramatic changes coming to

fruition in the near future. I anticipate that within

the next five years the majority of cardiac surgical

procedures will be able to be performed through

minimally invasive approaches not requiring the

splitting of the breast bone. I also foresee small,

battery size mechanical assist devices potentially

replacing transplantation as therapy for patients

suffering from end-stage heart failure and the de-

velopment of infinitely durable mechanical valves

that will not need anticoagulation or have the risk

of needing to be replaced during the patients’

lifetime. Finally, the possibility exists that regen-

erative medicine will make inroads into the field

allowing surgeons to repair valves and myocardial

muscle using the patients’ own tissue.

At the University of Chicago Medical Center, we

are involved in many clinical trials that give our pa-

tients access to next generation technology and

procedures today. For example, we are part of the

HeartWare Clinical Trial and are the 7th center to

implant the device in the country. Patients benefit

greatly from organizations that are exploring new

techniques and solutions to treating heart failure.

In the future, these sort of options will allow more

patients to receive life-saving treatment, while

ultimately improving their quality of life.

valluvan jeevanandam, mdProfessor of SurgeryChief, Section of Cardiac and Thoracic Surgery, The university of Chicago medical Center

Panel of Experts

Heart disease is America’s #1 killer, account-

ing for 700,000 deaths a year. The tragedy of it

all is that 80% of heart disease cases could be

prevented by changes in diet and lifestyle. For ex-

ample, researchers have found that cardiovascular

problems decline as fruit intake increases. Take

just one aspect, stroke risk, which is halved by

eating 9 servings of fruit and vegetables a day.

This is because fruit and vegetables provide the

vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber needed

to support heart health. Bananas in particular

provide a unique combination of heart-healthy

nutrients: potassium (for blood pressure control),

fiber (for cholesterol regulation), vitamin B6 (to

regulate homocysteine, an amino acid that, at

high levels, can damage arteries), and vitamin C

(to prevent oxidation of “bad” LDL cholesterol).

No wonder one study found that eating two

bananas a day reduced blood pressure by 10%.

We are conducting such research on bananas

—and all fruit and vegetables, at our North Caro-

lina Research Campus, the only campus in the

world encompassing eight universities all working

together for the benefit of health and longevity.

These include Duke University, UNC Chapel Hill,

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Central University, NC A&T State University, UNC

Greensboro and Appalachian State University.

You can learn more by visiting the Dole Nutrition

Institute at www.dolenutrition.com, and join the

2.5 million subscribers who enjoy our newsletter.

And don’t forget to eat a banana every day—I

do and at 86 years old, my heart remains young

—and not just young at heart.

david H murdoCkChairman, owner of dole Foods

For patients in need of heart surgery, traditionally, there’s only been one answer. But while open-heart surgery may be right for some, it may not be the best approach for others. Is there another way to treat these patients?

At the University of Chicago Medical Center, we ask questions like this every day. Questionsthat are revolutionizing the way heart disease is treated, and empowering us to provide the best option for each patient.

Our cardiac surgery team is internationally known for its advanced surgical solutions to treat heart failure, heart valve disease and other conditions. Having performed more minimally invasive heart surgeries than any other medical center in the state, we’re pushing the boundaries on the use of non-conventional approaches to cardiothoracic surgery — as well as groundbreaking device therapies — that give patients more and better options. And we make it a priority to educate patients on their options, so they can make the most informed decisions for themselves.

It’s how we’re changing the lives of people with heart disease all over the world. How can we change yours?

discover for yourself.Learn about the discoveries we’re making in cardiac surgery and other areas.

discover.uchospitals.edu | 773-702-2500

we believe there is.

Could there be more than one way to approaCh heart surgery?

© 2009 Dole Food Company Inc. DOLE is a registered trademark of Dole Food Company, Inc. www.dole.com

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Coaching teens takes a strongman with a steady heart.Coaching his daughter’s basketball team made John’s heart beat with pride—

until a medical problem sent it out of control. When other treatments didn’t

work, we offered him a state-of-the-art procedure. Guided by 3-dimensional

CT and mapping technology, along with inside-the-heart echocardiography,

Dr. Albert Lin threaded catheters into John’s heart to the sources of the

problem. Using radiowaves, he cauterized the spots that were sending out

erratic signals and causing the heart to quiver. Now John’s a real inspiration—

a coach with heart. Learn more at www.nch.org/heart. Or call

847.618.4YOU (4968).