Page 13 - CANNABIS NEWS FLORIDA JULY 2020

ADVANCES IN TECHNOLOGY

Innovation Helping Patients

at Cleveland Clinic Florida’s
Broward Health Medical Center
Heart And Vascular Institute
Launches New Treatments and
Innovation, expertise and Vascular Institute can also
Technologies During Pandemic compassion are among the repair or replace aortic,
tricuspid
reasons why patients from
mitral
and
across the United States, valves using minimally
Latin America and invasive surgery.
Caribbean turn to Cleveland Transcatheter aortic
Clinic in Florida for life-sav- valve replacement (TAVR)
ing cardiac treatment allows physicians to
options. replace the aortic valve via
“We are unique in Florida a catheter inserted in the
because we can address heart groin. They can also treat
failure, cardiothoracic sur- mitral regurgitation in a
gery, endocarditis, hyper- Dr. Jose Navia similar manner, first
trophic cardiomyopathy and inserting a small device
more,” said Jose Navia, M.D., Director of into a vein in the groin and then thread-
the Heart and Vascular Institute at ing it to the heart, where it clips the
Cleveland Clinic Florida. mitral valve. These minimally invasive
As an example, for patients suffering approaches reduce the recovery time for
from cardiogenic shock, time is of the patients, many of which remain in the
essence. This life-threatening condition, clinic for only a day before going home.
which is commonly caused by a heart The team can also treat hypertrophic
attack, occurs when a person’s heart can- cardiomyopathy, which is an abnormal
not pump enough blood and oxygen to thickening of the heart muscle. This can
Broward Health Medical Center car jack, and then we fill the area with a meet the body’s needs. make it more difficult to pump blood and
resumed medical diagnostic screenings cement to hold in place. This allows for With the help of a mechanical assistive can lead to symptoms like chest pain,
and elective surgeries in early May. In more alignment of the back and less device, physicians at Cleveland Clinic fainting or shortness of breath, especially
addition to these services now available chance of pain in the future.” Weston Hospital are able to give patients during or just after exercise. Dr. Navia
to the community, and although the Broward Health launched the first time. Dr. Navia explains that this tempo- explains that surgeons at Weston
COVID-19 pandemic continues, new OPTION clinical study on the Watchman rary support helps the heart maintain a Hospital can resect part of that muscle to
treatments and technologies for a variety FLX, with the first patients undergoing normal pressure and blood flow until the reduce the obstruction on the heart.
of conditions have been launched to the implantation of the device on June patient can receive a permanent device or Weston Hospital has been designated a
enhance care and extend patient access 11, 2020. Broward Health Medical a heart transplant. Center of Excellence by the
for the South Florida community. Center is the first hospital in South “This gives us the ability to treat very Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
Broward Health Medical Center recent- Florida to enroll patients for this national sick patients,” said Dr. Navia. “They Association (HCMA), making it only the
ly installed the Hologic Clarity HD 3D study that uses this second-generation need to have this support because the second organization in Florida to earn
mammography system with the Watchman device. heart is so weak. This will help keep the this designation.
SmartCurve compression paddle at the “This is a tremendous benefit for patient alive.” “The Heart and Vascular Institute can
Women’s Health Center. patients to protect them from having a In addition to these mechanical assis- provide most of the procedures that
“This new mammography system pro- stroke without being on an anticoagulant tive devices, physicians at the Heart and patients need,” said Dr. Navia.
vides a more comfortable and accurate for the rest of your life,” said Ahmed
mammogram experience,” said Regional Osman, M.D., Broward Health Physician
Manager of Radiology Judith Zavatsky. Group. “This is a game changer for those Biplane Fluoroscopy Helps Make
“We are also able to provide 3D guided patients who would otherwise have to be
breast biopsy, which enables us to biopsy on an anticoagulant indefinitely with the
the very small lesions being found with additional risk of bleeding on injury Minimally Invasive Treatments
this superior technology.” since a lot of these patients lead very
Also, in May, the first SpineJack proce- active lifestyles. This device also is suc- in the Brain Possible
dure in Broward County was performed cessful suited to fit all anatomies as com-
at Broward Health Medical Center. The pared to the previous device.”
surgery is an outpatient procedure and Broward Health’s mission is to provide Specialized imaging of the brain is making minimally
takes about 20 minutes. high quality care to all those we serve. invasive treatments possible at Cleveland Clinic Martin
“This is a minimally invasive proce- These new technologies further that mis- Health. Neuro-interventionalist Jeffrey Miller, M.D., uses
dure,” said Behnam Myers, D.O., and sion while creating greater access to biplane fluoroscopy to navigate the intricate channels of
orthopedic spine surgeon. “The advanced care close to home. blood vessels in the brain. This is an important ingredient
SpineJack elevates the broken bone like a in the endovascular coiling and mechanical thrombecto-
my procedures he performs.
Dr. Miller uses endovascular coiling to repair a brain
aneurysm before it ruptures. He accesses the brain
through an artery in the pelvis and fills the aneurysm with
soft coils to divert blood flow away from it. This reduces
the risk of the aneurysm bleeding or rupturing.
The elective procedure can take between 30 minutes Dr. Jeffrey Miller
and two hours to complete and the majority of patients
are able to go home the next day.
Brain aneurysms are not uncommon, but many people may experience no symp-
toms until they rupture. Dr. Miller encourages people to be proactive with their health
and talk with their primary care physician if they have a family history of brain
aneurysms. Screening can help locate an aneurysm before it ruptures.
“Don’t be afraid to be screened,” said Dr. Miller. “Most people have a very negative
connotation about brain aneurysms, but the technology and procedures have come
dramatically far.”
This technology is also used in the treatment of ischemic strokes, where a blood
clot is obstructing blood flow to the brain. Similar to endovascular coiling, Dr. Miller
accesses the brain through an artery in the pelvis and performs a mechanical
thrombectomy to remove the clot. The results can be life-changing.
“It’s very exciting,” said Dr. Miller. “To see someone come into the hospital para-
lyzed and walk out, I can’t imagine anything more rewarding.”

24 July 2020 southfloridahospitalnews.com South Florida Hospital News