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Lutheran performs nearly 200 different heart procedures annually and is the region’s only heart transplant facility. Other regional "firsts" include:
Coronary care unit 1967
Coronary artery bypass 1970
Coronary angiogram 1970
Complete heart catheterization 1977
Dedicated inpatient cath lab 1979
Regional heart clinic 1979
Coronary angioplasty 1981
Heart transplant 1985
Artificial heart 1987
Heart-lung transplant 1989
Heart transplant in a patient older than 70 (a world first) 1990
Transplant of heart from a donor older than 55 (a world first) 1990
Dedicated outpatient cath lab 1991
Coronary flex stent 1993
Patient returns home with ventricular assist device or “partial artificial heart” (state first) 1999
Medicare approval to implant left ventricular assist device for permanent use (state first) 2003
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The Heart Pavilion integrates heart services to one centralized area. Procedures as simple as an EKG to as complex as a heart transplant are performed in one state-of-the-art location. More than 300 parking spaces between I-69 and the Heart Pavilion bring patients and families within yards of the Heart Pavilion entrance. Four operating rooms (ORs) devoted to cardiovascular surgery and private preoperative and postoperative rooms, each with individual heart monitoring systems, help enhance the quality of care. A total of five cardiac catheterization labs are also part of the centralized integration of services.
Additional ORs create an added benefit for other patients and staff. "The number of surgeries we perform has increased across all service lines," said Joe Dorko, COO, Lutheran Hospital. "By building a center of excellence for heart care, we also improve our capability to provide high level, efficient care for all other surgical procedures being performed at Lutheran Hospital." There are currently 18 ORs in use.
The Heart Pavilion design pays close attention to important environmental elements such as natural and indirect lighting and soft wood finishes. Surgical waiting areas offer a quieter, more private hospital experience for family and friends.
Even before establishing the region’s first Coronary Care Unit in 1967, Lutheran Hospital had become keenly aware of the special needs of heart patients and their families. Through periods of exciting change, Lutheran has continued to build relationships with local physicians and medical professionals who share a passion for providing patients the knowledge, skill and technology needed to remain on the cutting edge of heart care. Using this as a backdrop, construction crews have started work that is scheduled to be completed in late 2004. With the number of baby boomers over the age of 55 set to increase by 20 percent over the next five years, Lutheran officials are poised to meet the ever-increasing needs of an aging population.
"Heart care is so much a part of who we are as a hospital," said Tom Miller, CEO, Lutheran Hospital. "From the region’s first coronary artery bypass in 1970 to our world recognition in the field of heart transplantation, Lutheran has a historical commitment to providing unsurpassed heart care and this facility will help us maintain that strong tradition."
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