Clinical Briefing:
Penn Heart Failure and Transplant Update
July/August 2008
Clinical, research and educational expertise enable the
Heart Failure and
Transplant Program at Penn to meet the
complex needs of patients with moderate to severe heart failure.
The cardiac specialists at Penn have the breadth and depth
of experience to skillfully manage any cardiac condition
a patient may have.
"A surgical program is nothing without
strong cardiology support, and an excellent cardiac program,
which by definition, includes a superb surgical team. They
are one and the same, and dependent on each other for the
total care of the patient,"
says Mariell L.
Jessup, MD,
Medical Director, Heart Failure and
Transplantation Program.
Case Study
Mr. W, a 60-year old man with a history of worsening ischemic
heart disease, was referred to the Heart Failure and Transplant
Program at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
(HUP) for a high-risk surgical revascularization evaluation.
After a review of his coronary data, the multidisciplinary
Heart Failure and Transplantation team found that the risks of
surgery for Mr. W outweighed any potential benefit.
The team then met
with Mr. W and his wife to discuss medical management options,
with the ultimate goal of improving functional capacity.
The plan included enrollment into the HF-Action clinical
trial, routine visits to HUP and phone triage with an assigned
heart failure nurse. Additionally, Mr. W and his wife met
with a financial coordinator to assist them with insurance
issues. They also met with a social worker to help them address
the chronic illness challenges they faced.
Mr. W’s condition
worsened after several months. The Heart Failure team reconvened
and determined that he was an appropriate candidate for heart
transplant. When his condition warranted inotropic support
during the waiting period, Mr. W’s listing status was upgraded,
and five weeks later he underwent a successful heart transplant.
After two days in the Cardiothoracic Surgical Intensive Care
Unit, Mr. W was transferred to the Cardiothoracic Surgical
floor.
Following thorough heart transplant care coordination
with his family, Mr. W was discharged home. He is on a close
follow-up schedule that includes routine endomyocardial biopsies.
He started cardiac rehabilitation eight weeks post transplant
and is setting new goals for his renewed life.
Our Team of Faculty
The Heart Failure and Transplantation Program at Penn is comprised
of a multidisciplinary team of specialists and clinicians whose experience spans
the breadth and depth of heart failure care. The team includes some of the
nation's finest cardiologists, cardiovascular surgeons, nurses, transplant and
VAD coordinators, as well as social workers and specialists in cardiac imaging,
arrhythmia management, cardiac anesthesia, infectious disease, immunology and
rehabilitation medicine. Together, this team is dedicated to the management of
patients with complex heart failure.
Hospital of the University of
Pennsylvania
Cardiovascular Surgery
Michael A. Acker, MD
Chief, Cardiovascular Surgery;
William Maul Measey Professor
of Surgery
Rohinton J. Morris, MD
Surgical Director, Heart Failure and
Transplantation Program;
Clinical
Associate Professor of Surgery
Alberto Pochettino, MD
Associate Professor of Surgery
Wilson Szeto, MD
Assistant Professor of Surgery
Y. Joseph Woo, MD
Assistant Professor of Surgery
Heart Failure/Transplant
Mariell L. Jessup, MD
Medical Director, Heart Failure and Transplantation Program;
Professor of Medicine
Susan C. Brozena, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine
Thomas P. Cappola, MD,
ScM
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Daniel L. Dries, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Lee R. Goldberg, MD, MPH
Associate Professor of Medicine
Kenneth B. Margulies,
MD
Associate Professor of Medicine
Joyce W. Wald, DO
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Paul Forfia, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Penn Presbyterian Medical Center
Ross R. Zimmer, MD
Director, Heart Failure Program;
Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine
Brian M. Drachman,
MD
Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine
Transplant Nurse Practitioners
Susan Chambers, RN, MSN,
CRNP
David Drajpuch, RN, MSN, CRNP
Nicole Hornsby, RN, MSN, CNRP
Wilhelmina Maslanek RN, MSN, CRNP
Patrice Schneider, RN, BSN
Patricia Stutman, RN, MSN, CRNP
Bridget Vincent, RN, MSN, CRNP
Mary Williams, RN, MSN, CRNP
Social Work
Deborah Gordon, MSS, CSW
Financial Coordinator
Cammy McCaskill
Clinical Manager
Donna Chojnowski, MSN, CRNP
Access
Patient appointments are available at:
Penn Cardiac Care at the
Hospital of the University of
Pennsylvania
6 Penn Tower
3400 Spruce Street
Philadelphia, PA
Penn Cardiac Care at
Penn Presbyterian Medical Center
Philadelphia Heart Institute, 4th Floor
38th and Market Streets
Philadelphia, PA
To refer a patient and/or consult with
a doctor call 800-789-PENN (7366) or you can also refer
a patient online.
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