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Ocean University Medical Center $20M Heart Lab Can Save Lives Every Day With New Tech
BRICK - Ocean University Medical Center has unveiled a $20 million center for heart and vascular procedures in a move designed to keep up with an aging population in a fast-growing county.
The Dr. Robert H. And Mary Ellen Harris Heart & Vascular Center, at 17,750 square feet, is twice the size of the hospital's previous catheterization laboratory and will bring together two related specialties into one unit.
"The cardiovascular system is one system," said Dr. Ali Moosvi, the hospital's director of cardiac catheterization. "Ideally, (treatment) should be together. That's why we did it. It was better for patient treatment."
Ocean University Medical Center, owned by Edison-based Hackensack Meridian Health, has been growing fast. In recent years, it has added a $82 million emergency department, three dozen private-patient rooms and a teaching program.
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Dr. Ali Moosvi (left), chief of cardiology at Ocean University Medical Center, speaks with vascular surgeon Dr. Frank Sharp and Alana Speaker, heart and vascular services manager, in one of the new operating suites that is part of the new $20 million cardiac and vascular center at the hospital in Brick Friday afternoon, March 24, 2023.
The expansion might turn out to be fortuitous. As the giant baby boomer generation reaches retirement age, Ocean County's population has increased quickly during the pandemic, surpassing neighboring Monmouth County, as people moved from northern New Jersey, New York City and Philadelphia in search of more space and more affordable housing.
"Think about the population growth even since COVID," Robert C. Garrett, president and chief executive officer of Hackensack Meridian, said during a ribbon-cutting event Friday for the heart and vascular center. "We're seeing it in the emergency department. We're seeing it all over the hospital. And certainly a center like this is more important than ever."
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One of the new operating suites that is part of the $20 million cardiac and vascular center at Ocean University Medical Center in Brick Friday afternoon, March 24, 2023.
The center is above the emergency department, built in space that had been empty. Its construction was six years in the making, with delays chalked up to the pandemic.
Helping its cause was $10 million in private donations, including a gift from Mary Ellen Harris, president of the Golden Dome Foundation based in Middletown.
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The case for a new heart and vascular center got stronger last year when New Jersey lawmakers agreed to allow the hospital to perform elective angioplasty and stenting — a procedure that opens clogged coronary arteries and previously could only be performed here in case of an emergency.
The center is geared to treat heart disease, the leading cause of death nationwide. It includes three multi-purpose labs for catheterization and vascular procedures that are equipped with state-of-the-art technology, including robotic devices and video screens.
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One of the new operating suites that is part of the $20 million cardiac and vascular center at Ocean University Medical Center in Brick Friday afternoon, March 24, 2023.
Dr. Frank Sharp, a vascular surgeon, said he and his team of six doctors would be able to perform complex, high-tech and minimally invasive procedures.
"Today marks a new era of vascular care in our community," Sharp said. "These rooms contain the latest imaging technology allowing vascular surgeons and cardiologists to efficiently and carefully intervene on diseased blood vessels in the body."
Michael L. Diamond is a business reporter who has been writing about the New Jersey economy and health care industry for more than 20 years. He can be reached at mdiamond@gannettnj.Com.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Ocean University Medical Center in Brick NJ opens heart, vascular lab
Long COVID And Heart Issues: What Do We Know About Lingering Symptoms — And Treatment?
The college volleyball player with a racing heart came to see cardiologist Dr. Tamanna Singh in August 2020.
The athlete had an unusually high heart rate and would get palpitations just by walking from one room to the next, Singh, the co-director of the Cleveland Clinic's Sports Cardiology Center, told McClatchy News in an interview.
She was the first long COVID patient Singh saw. She says she's seen hundreds since.
Singh found the athlete's heart rate could jump from 60 to 70 beats per minute to 140 to 150 beats per minute, Singh said. A resting heart rate for most healthy adults is 60 to 100 beats per minute.
This was a "quite robust response, something that we really should not see with that minimal level of exertion," Singh said of her patient.
The athlete was also extremely tired, could no longer work out and compete in sports.
Singh put her through rigorous cardiac testing — primarily to ensure she wasn't at an increased risk of sudden cardiac death while playing sports or after — and nothing out of the ordinary was noticed, according to Singh.
Singh says there could be more than 200 post-COVID symptoms. The most common ones Singh sees include heart palpitations or racing sensations, chest pains, difficulty exercising, shortness of breath, dizziness and lightheadedness.
Long COVID is a "multisystemic illness" affecting millions of people after their COVID-19 infection, research published Jan. 13, 2023 in Nature Reviews Microbiology notes. Symptoms can potentially last years.
When Singh sees her long COVID patients, she has heard about other symptoms such as brain fog, intense migraines, gastrointestinal issues, altered menstrual cycles and mental health issues. Some of these are potential long COVID symptoms, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
About 1 in 5 adults may develop at least one long COVID-19 symptom after COVID-19 infection, according to CDC research published in May 2022.
Cardiac tests come back as normal for some long COVID patients experiencing heart issuesAfter Singh saw the college volleyball player in 2020, she started seeing a "smattering" of post-COVID patients with similar symptoms. For some, their cardiac tests also came back as normal, she said.
In mid-2020, patients experiencing lingering symptoms after their COVID-19 infection began to pop up, according to a review published Feb. 2, 2023 in Nature Reviews Cardiology. Similar to some of Singh's patients, they had a range of symptoms — including heart palpitations, a racing heart rate, chest pains and an intolerance to exercise.
Dr. Harlan Krumholz, a cardiologist and scientist at Yale University and Yale New Haven Hospital, has spoken to several people with heart problems related to their COVID-19 infection, he told McClatchy News via email.
"They continue to have (heart) symptoms even though their test come(s) back without an indication of the underlying cause," Krumholz said.
The patients' heart symptoms began soon after getting COVID-19, and have persisted over time, Krumholz said.
"Most people who have a COVID-19 infection do not end up having any sort of long-term cardiovascular issues," Krumholz said. "This is not something that should worry them. For (a) minority, however, there can be persistent, cardiovascular symptoms."
What a few studies suggest about long COVID heart issuesA study published in the journal Nature Medicine in December 2022 identified four "major patterns" or clusters of long COVID conditions. The work involved Weill Cornell Medicine researchers.
The four major long COVID subtypes were:
Heart, kidney and circulatory problems
Respiratory issues, anxiety, sleep disorders and chest pains
Musculoskeletal and nervous system issues, including arthritis
Digestive and respiratory issues
The most prevalent long COVID symptom cluster, affecting roughly 34% of patients out of thousands studied, involved heart, kidney and circulatory systems, according to the research.
A meta-analysis of 11 studies involving 5.8 million people suggests people experiencing long COVID are more than twice as likely to develop cardiovascular problems, according to a Feb. 23, 2023 American College of Cardiology news release on the work published in March 2023/ in the journal of the American College of Cardiology.
"There is some evidence that long-term cardiovascular risk may be increased after COVID-19 infection, but these studies are not definitive and there's still a fair amount of uncertainty," Krumholz said.
Another study published in the journal Nature Cardiovascular Research in December 2022 focused on a specific heart condition that may occur after a COVID-19 infection — POTS or postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome.
The condition is a nervous system disorder that causes a person's heart to rapidly race in the 10 minutes after standing up, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. It is accompanied by symptoms that are known to get worse, including lightheadedness and fainting.
People may have a higher chance of developing this debilitating heart condition after getting infected with COVID-19, the work involving researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles found.
The review published Feb. 2, 2023 in Nature Reviews Cardiology theorizes that either COVID-19 infection or vaccination can "trigger" POTS and other cardiovascular-related symptoms.
Krumholz told McClatchy News that there may be immunologic factors related to POTS after a COVID-19 infection. He acknowledged that some people have reported similar conditions after vaccination and that potential adverse effects from the vaccine are being studied in detail.
Why can a COVID-19 infection potentially harm the heart?"A COVID-19 infection can directly damage the heart," Krumholz said. "The virus itself can cause damage or the body's response to the virus can cause damage. It seems the inflammation in other parts of the body can also affect the blood vessels and inside the body."
When COVID-19 causes inflammation and fluid filling the lungs, this may impact the amount of oxygen hitting one's bloodstream, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. When there's less oxygen entering the bloodstream, it may cause the heart to pump harder.
"The heart can fail from overwork, or insufficient oxygen can cause cell death and tissue damage in the heart and other organs," Johns Hopkins Medicine says.
The virus could also directly infect and damage the tissue of the heart, causing it to become inflamed, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. This is known as myocarditis.
Mary Elizabeth Lusk: One of many experiencing long COVID symptoms, including heart issuesMary Elizabeth Lusk, 47, of Mission Viejo, California, was diagnosed with COVID-19 pneumonia on Dec. 22, 2020.
By Dec. 26, she was suffocating as fluid filled her lungs, her lips turned blue and she went into a coma that would last longer than a month, she told McClatchy News in emailed statements.
While on a ventilator, she experienced respiratory failure for eight days and had repeated cardiac episodes — specifically a heart rate over 100 beats a minute.
Before she awoke on Feb. 1, 2021, doctors tried taking her off her ventilator but were unable to because of her racing heart.
"My heart was beating so fast they were worried I'd have a heart attack," Lusk said.
When asked if she had any heart issues prior to her COVID-19 infection, Lusk told McClatchy News that she had high blood pressure in middle school when her kidney disease was detected. Since then, she's taken Losartan every day to manage it.
High blood pressure increases the risk for heart disease, heart attack and stroke, according to the CDC.
However, following her COVID-19 infection and after her discharge from the hospital in late February of 2021, Lusk would receive a new diagnosis related to her heart.
Beginning in April of 2021, a cardiologist ordered Lusk to undergo cardiac testing until the end of the year and most of these tests were normal.
However, when Lusk was ordered to wear a waterproof, adhesive Zio patch over her heart — a device offering "near real time cardiac event monitoring" — in August 2021 for three weeks, these test results were "not normal," she said.
Over these weeks, the Zio patch showed 43 cardiac episodes in which her heart rate was faster than 200 beats per minute.
Because of this, she was officially diagnosed with supraventricular tachycardia when the heart beats suddenly and rapidly. It occurs "when the electrical system that controls your heart rhythm is not working properly," according to the National Health Service in the UK.
Lusk said her heart rate jumped randomly and wasn't related to physical activity. She still experiences cardiac episodes a couple times a day and feels chest pains.
"It is really scary and makes it hard to breathe," Lusk said.
Now she takes medication, in addition to Losartan, to help manage her heart issues.
She added that it's frustrating there's no definitive answers when it comes to heart problems after COVID-19.
Lusk received her first COVID vaccine six months after leaving the hospital.
'We have yet to really isolate the underlying cause or to determine best treatments'Singh told McClatchy News that it's important to not negate the physical symptoms people feel from long COVID.
For post-COVID symptoms that appear to be related to cardiovascular system dysfunction, Krumholz said that "we have yet to really isolate the underlying cause or to determine best treatments."
"It's a very frustrating situation of the patients and even for the doctors."
If you are experiencing heart issues in general, it's good to see a healthcare provider, Krumholz advises.
While there's there are no "definitive" steps to reduce the risk of heart conditions after COVID-19, according to Krumholz, "some people have suggested the vaccination can reduce this risk, and that may be true," he said.
"Of course, the best possible strategy is to avoid getting COVID-19 in the first place."
He said that over time, that is becoming an almost impossible task.
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Originally published March 30, 2023, 12:53 PM
Tanner Dedicates Adams Heart Center
A generous gift from a local family has renamed one of Tanner Health System's most prominent facilities and will help the health system continue its crusade against the region's leading cause of death: heart disease.
Tuesday evening, members of the Adams family — including Moreland Adams Jr., Mercedine Adams Harrison, Sharon Adams Walker, Greg Adams, Steve Adams and their mother, Nellie Adams — joined Tanner's leadership and invited guests to dedicate the Adams Heart Center at Tanner Medical Center/Carrollton.
The facility opened in 2008 as Tanner Heart and Vascular Center — a four-story tower entirely dedicated to advancing clinical care for heart patients. The center features specialized facilities for vascular and interventional cardiac procedures, such as angioplasty and stenting.
"Cardiovascular disease takes more of our loved ones, friends, and neighbors than any other disease," said Loy Howard, president and CEO of Tanner. "Almost everyone in west Georgia has cardiovascular disease or knows someone who does."
The Adams' gift not only gives Tanner Heart and Vascular Center a new name — it will support the continued expansion of heart care in the region, giving even more residents access to leading-edge cardiac care.
The Adams have a long history of involvement with Tanner.
Nellie Adams and her late husband, Moreland, wed in 1951. Nellie Adams began working as a nurse's aide at Tanner in 1971 and served for 26 years until she retired from Tanner in 1997. Nellie Adams made sure her children appreciated a sense of community and service — including caring for others. Each of the Adams' children went into careers of service.
His parents' legacy — that service leads to success — has shaped Moreland Adams Jr.'s life. At 16, Moreland Adams Jr. Became an orderly at the former Villa Rica City Hospital, eager to learn and grow.
Enthusiastic in his service, he became a surgical assistant and worked alongside the hospital's first woman anesthetist. The experience inspired him to pursue training as an emergency medical technician from Carroll County Vocational School, completing the program in 1975. Moreland Adams Jr. Served as an EMT until 1986, then founded his own ambulance service, selling it 12 years later. That's when he joined his oldest brother, Steve Adams, at Southeastrans as chief operating officer until his retirement in 2019.
Mercedine Adams Harrison began her career as a certified nursing assistant at the former Villa Rica City Hospital in 1975. She became a licensed practical nurse in 1981, earning her degree from Carroll County Vocational Technical School and expanding her ability to care for her patients. As a nurse, Mercedine Harrison earned respect among the medical staff and other Tanner clinicians. She retired in 2011 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to care for her parents but continues to volunteer at Tanner.
Sharon Adams Walker also has a deep history with Tanner. From her service as a ward secretary at the former Villa Rica City Hospital in 1973, she earned an associates in nursing from Floyd College in Rome, Georgia, and a bachelor's in nursing from the University of West Georgia in 2005. Walker's leadership ushered in Tanner Medical Center/Villa Rica's women's services program, and twice she served as interim director of nursing for the hospital.
Greg Adams launched his three decades in health care at Tanner as an orderly and, later, as a student of nursing. Greg Adams graduated from the former Floyd College's nursing program in Rome and earned his bachelor's from Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, then his master's in nursing administration from Wichita State University in Wichita, Kansas.
After serving as a nurse and nursing administrator, Greg Adams began focusing on hospital leadership. He's been the chair and CEO of Kaiser Permanente — the nation's largest integrated healthcare organization — since 2019. A philanthropist and nationally recognized leader in healthcare transformation, Greg Adams has improved affordability and access in the quest for more equitable health outcomes.
Steve Adams became an accomplished entrepreneur and dedicated community servant since serving as an orderly at Tanner Medical Center/Carrollton when he was 15. He became an emergency medical technician (EMT) and began West Georgia Ambulance when Carroll County was without an ambulance service. He's now the chief executive officer of Verida Inc., one of the region's leading non-emergency medical transportation services and call centers with operations in several states.
Steve Adams is also a long-serving member of the board for Tanner, serving a quarter-century on Tanner's board and chairing the board for Tanner Foundation.
At the Adams Heart Center dedication, Steve Adams took a moment to thank many of those in attendance for their support as he got West Georgia Ambulance off the ground in the 1970s — fulfilling a need at a time when Carroll County was without an ambulance service.
Then, keying a walkie-talkie, he gave the word for the Adams Heart Center sign to be illuminated for the first time — a permanent testament to his family's commitment to the community, standing at the corner of Dixie Street and Clinic Avenue.
The Adams' other contributions to Tanner include Adams Park and Adams Magnolia Park — honoring the 30-year legacy of Tanner Foundation's Magnolia Ball — at the Tanner Health Pavilion in Carrollton, offering outdoor gathering spaces for Get Healthy, Live Well participants, as well as a calming refuge just off the Carrollton GreenBelt.
Tanner launched its interventional cardiology program at Tanner Medical Center/Carrollton in 2006, offering a nonsurgical approach to clearing blocked coronary arteries. The program expanded to Tanner Medical Center/Villa Rica in 2015. In the 16 years that interventional cardiology has been available in west Georgia, Tanner's cardiologists have performed more than 8,400 cardiac interventions.
In January, the health system started offering open-heart surgery, providing a local option for the more than 500 open-heart cases from the region that had to travel to Atlanta, Birmingham or Rome for care and saving loved ones time and travel.
Both Tanner Medical Center/Carrollton and Tanner Medical Center/Villa Rica are accredited chest pain centers.
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