Page 3 - The San Foundation Magazine - Autumn 2023

Thank you. Your support of the ‘Heart Christmas Appeal’ will save lives
One of the highlights of the San Foundation’s ‘Heart Christmas Appeal’ was the very special Heart Lunch which provided an opportunity to thank our valued supporters and to hear about life-saving advancements in heart health.
The Heart Lunch featured some of the San’s cardiac specialists and managers who spoke about new equipment and cardiac services which will continue to keep Sydney Adventist Hospital at the forefront in cardiac care, saving lives.
Cardiothoracic surgeon, Dr Brian Plunket, shared a moving story about what a difference particular pieces of cardiac equipment can make by providing immediate life- support for patients in critical or life-threatening situations.
Dr Elizabeth Shaw, Interventional Cardiologist and Head of Department of Cardiology at the San expressed gratitude - on behalf of the department - to every donor for their support of cardiac services at the San. “Through your support, one of our old cardiac catheter labs has been upgraded, including new software, better equipment and superior imaging which enables us to treat patients with heart disease in a safer manner.”
Dr Shaw also spoke about the worrying trend for women
in particular who suffer from microvascular heart disease which often goes undetected. “Microvascular disease is when blockages occur in the really small arteries of the heart,” said Dr Shaw. “We cannot see these really small blockages during a standard
angiogram, and if nothing shows on angiogram, historically these women may have been left without a formal diagnosis despite their symptoms.”
Thankfully new technology now exists which can assess the microvascular system, and this equipment is on the ‘wish-list’ of San cardiac specialists. “If we can assess the microvascular system, these patients will have their condition accurately diagnosed, acknowledged, and treated.”
If you would like to make a donation to the Heart Appeal or want to know more about specific pieces of life- saving equipment still on the Heart Appeal ‘wish-list’, we welcome your enquiries: please contact a member of the San Foundation team on
(02) 9480 9405.
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