New lab will offer immediate help for cardiac patients.

By Mary O’KEEFE

USC Verdugo Hills Hospital (VHH) has started construction on an Interventional Radiology Catheterization Lab (IR Cath Lab). To commemorate the occasion, last week hospital staff held a “wall-breaking” ceremony.

In a year that has been very stressful for the medical professionals at USC-VHH finding a reason to celebrate is especially welcome. The construction of the Cath Lab is indeed a cause to celebrate because the lab will offer immediate help for those suffering from cardiac issues.

Cardiac catheterization examines the vessels, valves and chambers of the heart. It will be used by cardiovascular surgeons to do specialized or more invasive surgeries that require simultaneous imaging, like tracing arteries, according to a statement by USC-VHH. The bottom line is this will allow doctors to quickly identify cardiac issues when patients enter the Emergency Dept. [ED].

“Currently very few emergency cardiac procedures can be performed at VHH due to the hospital’s lack of this aspect of the Cath Lab,” said Rod Hanners, interim CEO of Keck Medicine of USC.

Presently some patients who arrive in the VHH ED with coronary issues that require a more in-depth diagnosis are transferred to another hospital, which delays treatment.

“This is a big deal,” said Dr. Armand Dorian, interim CEO of USC-VHH and former chief medical officer. “This is part of our growth. The first part was the Neonatology Dept., so we started with that and now it’s all about cardiovascular growth.”

In 2018, USC-VHH completed the NICU [Neonatal Intensive Care Unit], which was composed of six private rooms equipped with state-of-the-art technology.

Dorian explained the Cath Lab is so important because heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States.

“This is an extremely important tool that this hospital has been lacking. Now we are going to have not just a Cath Lab but also a state-of-the-art [Cath Lab]. We may have some diagnostics here that maybe one out of 20 [hospitals] in the country have,” he said. “We can bring that to this community.”

This type of technology is needed now more than ever as the country moves closer to the post-COVID-19 world.

“As we settle into our new reality, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic we must realize that our efforts in combating heart disease is more critical than ever. Cardiovascular conditions claim the lives of more than [650,000] people annually. In Los Angeles County heart disease and stroke account for more deaths than any other [causes],” Hanners said. “Nearly one fourth of those hospitalized with COVID-19 have been diagnosed with cardiovascular complications. It contributed roughly to 40% of all COVID-19 related deaths. In fact, the recent Journal of the American Medical Association study found abnormalities of the heart in 78% of patients recovering from COVID-19. This is another reason why the Cath Lab is so important.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 655,000 Americans each year die from heart disease and annually about 805,000 Americans have a heart attack.

The wall-breaking was the last official event of now former CEO Keith Hobbs. Hobbs left USC-VHH for a new position as executive vice president for Torrance Memorial Medical Center. He said the journey to get the Cath Lab actually began over seven years ago with the hospital’s strategy team. At the wall-breaking event he thanked those in the community who helped the hospital make the Cath Lab a reality, including support from State Senator Anthony Portantino.

For most who spoke at the ceremony, the Cath Lab represented a personal journey. Many had family members who had suffered from cardiac issues and knew firsthand how important a quick and accurate diagnosis can be.

Shawn Sheffield, chief strategy officer at Keck Medicine of USC, is a La Cañada Flintridge resident. She said she has been “dreaming” of the hospital having a Cath Lab for a long time. She shared the story of her father, who had been diagnosed with a severe heart condition by doctors in Arizona. Doctors there had prescribed heart surgery, which she worried would be hard on her father who was recovering from back surgery. She called a doctor at Keck Medicine for a second opinion and found that her father needed a much less invasive surgery, something that could be done with the help of a Cath Lab. She brought her father to LA, he had the procedure and the next day was at her son’s sporting event.

Sue Wilder along with her husband Steve are in the VHH Foundation and are the co-chairs for the fundraising portion of the Cath Lab project. She and Steve are also hospital volunteers. She shared her story of bringing her dad to VHH. It was discovered he had congenital heart failure. For several weeks her dad was treated at the hospital and she was impressed with the quality of care he received. She has been a volunteer at the hospital for over 20 years, and has seen the need for a Cath Lab.

The Cath Lab will cost $3 million, according to Steve. The project fundraisers have already raised $1.3 million.

“Which is a fabulous start,” Steve said. He added that he and his wife are committed personally and financially to raising funds for this project. He pled with the public to do the same.

“We ask you please, as members of this community, to support this project however you can,” he said.