Page 7 - Christiana Care Focus

PUMPING INNOVATION INTO
Heart & Vascular Care
One June morning, Jacobo Moreta went to work like any other day. The Wilmington resident wasn’t
feeling well when he set out. When he still felt poorly midday, Moreta’s daughter called his doctor, who sent her father to Wilmington Hospital’s Emergency Department (ED).
From the ED, Moreta was admitted to Wilmington Hospital’s Cardiology Care unit for testing, one of the first patients in the new nine-bed suite that opened in late May, advancing the hospital’s ability to treat cardiac-related cases in the city.
“We’re supporting our community close to home with the right care, in the right place, at the right time,” said Brian Sarter, M.D., medical director of the cardiac care units. “Before the Wilmington Hospital Cardiology Care unit opened, we often had to send patients who came to us with heart concerns to Christiana Hospital,” he said. “Now, we have the capabilities to treat many of them at Wilmington, right here
at home.”
The unit provides care for a range of cardiac conditions, including heart failure, at Wilmington Hospital, reducing the need for transfers to Christiana Hospital. The goal is to let patients receive needed care closer to where they live.
“For many people in the city of Wilmington, having high-quality heart care nearby makes a tremendous difference,” said Kirk Garratt, M.D., M.Sc., medical director of Christiana Care’s Center for Heart & Vascular Health. “It allows families to be with loved ones during care while also balancing obligations at home and work.
“We are committed to delivering care to our Wilmington neighbors in ways that provide them with the best possible experience.”
If patients need specialty services like heart catheterization or surgery, they are transferred to the Christiana Care Center for Heart & Vascular Health at Christiana Hospital. That was the case with Moreta, who received more intensive services in the Gerret and Tatiana Copeland Heart & Vascular Interventional Suite at Christiana Hospital. The experience was seamless, and “everything was great,” he said. C O N T I N U E D
Cardiac surgeon Franjo Siric, M.D., inspects an artificial heart valve before deploying the device via catheter during a transaortic valve replacement procedure.
FOCUS • SUMMER 2019 5
{ INNOVATION }
Closer to Home
Last year, more than 2,500 people from the Wilmington area were transferred from Wilmington Hospital to Christiana Hospital for step-down care — the level between intensive and regular inpatient — or traditional inpatient observation and cardiac care.
Today, these patients would likely stay in Wilmington, receiving the same quality treatment and opening more beds at Christiana Hospital for other patients.