The Hoffman Heart and Vascular Institute at Saint Francis utilizing prevention, collaboration and outreach to improve the lives of the community
As Saint Francis Hospital, a member of Trinity Health Of New England, providing a personal approach to patient care is a top priority. The hospital’s team of experts is continuously examining how to maintain and improve how to provide the best care for its patients. This mission and mindset is tangible in the daily work at the Hoffman Heart and Vascular Institute at Saint Francis.
The Hoffman Heart and Vascular Institute’s dedicated team of cardiologists and heart and vascular surgeons work diligently and collaboratively to ensure optimal patient outcomes. In addition to treating all types of heart conditions, the cardiology team at Saint Francis Hospital provides the education and tools each patient needs to be able improve their heart health for the long term.
Total Heart Health
Established in 1991 as the first total care cardiovascular center in southern New England, the Hoffman Heart and Vascular Institute at Saint Francis is the premier center of excellence for a multitude of heart-related diagnoses, treatments and services. Whether a patient is dealing with a common or a complex heart or vascular issue, our physicians bring medical excellence to a multitude of treatments and services, including angioplasty, cardiac catheterization, vascular and endovascular surgery, among several others designed to meet an individual’s needs.
“Our multidisciplinary approach to cardiovascular care at Saint Francis means treatment is tailored to a patient’s individual needs and allows us to streamline patient care all within our hospital,” said Dr. Daniel Diver, chief of cardiology and physician director of the cardiovascular service line, Saint Francis Hospital.
The center works in unison to improve the overall heart health of our patients and our community. It is championed by the top cardiology physicians in the region, each heading an individual unit specializing in a specific line of care, including coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, arrhythmia, valvular disease, vascular disease. Additionally, within the hospital there are four inpatient units— medical cardiology, caring specifically for post-heart attack patients, the first and only dedicated inpatient heart failure unit in Connecticut, a surgical step-down unit for patients following open heart surgery, and a unit dedicated to interventional cardiology with both pre-and post-operative care—each coordinated by a specialized team of nurses.
Collaboration of Care
At the Hoffman Heart and Vascular Institute at Saint Francis, collaboration has proven to be a key to great success. For example, the institute’s Transcather Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) Program brings together a team of experts in order to exchange ideas, discuss individual cases, and develop personalized approaches and techniques that will best meet the patient’s needs. This patient-centered, collaborative effort has allowed physicians to drastically improve treatment for a challenging subset of patients who typically have some kind of significant aortic valve blockage, but are often not ideal candidates for a full surgical procedure. Prior to the introduction of the TAVR Program, these patients would have had highly limited options such as either major open heart surgery or palliative care. Now, the team of TAVR specialists at Saint Francis are one of very few in the region who offer this alternative road to better heart health and are ultimately creating a new path to a longer life for patients who may not have otherwise had such options in the past.
“We are looking at the big picture, utilizing our physicians along with our incredibly skilled nurses and technicians in multiple specialty areas to closely analyze each patient’s case,” said Dr. Anita Kelsey, director of the Women’s Heart Program, Saint Francis Hospital. “If a patient has other medical issues, such as cancers or kidney disease, we take into account the person as a whole allowing it to inform how we make the right decision for the patient at the right time.”
Wrap-around Care
The focus on the patient as the individual is also the driving force of the highly specialized team that dedicates their skills to the heart failure unit at Saint Francis. This unit, the first fully dedicated heart failure unit in the state, serves the spectrum of heart failure patients, from mild cases to the most severe.
“Heart failure is a complex diagnosis making it both challenging and gratifying to treat,” explained Dr. Sabeena Arora, director of the heart failure program at Saint Francis. “It is an honor to develop relationships with each of my patients and their families, many of whom are in the midst of the most trying time of their lives. Whether their journey involves a heart transplant or end of life care, it is a privilege to take care of each and every one.”
The Heart Failure Outpatient Intervention Program is a valuable opportunity for a heart failure patient to reduce their need for re-hospitalization. Through a dedicated team of heart failure trained nurses and nurse practitioners, a recently diagnosed heart failure patient is provided with the tools they need to thrive outside the hospital walls and in their often preferred home setting.
Similarly, the Oncology Heart Failure Program was recently developed from an increasing need as more is discovered about the link to cancer medications and heart failure. Through the program cancer patients are accessed for their risk of heart failure prior to and after their cancer treatment. This multi-disciplinary approach allows physicians to better identify vulnerable patients who may be at higher risk for developing cardiac dysfunctions due to these medications or cancer treatments.
Experience Is Everything
Along with having one of the largest open heart surgery programs in the state, Saint Francis prides itself has having one of the fastest “door-to-balloon” times for urgent heart attack care in Connecticut.
“Our ‘door-to-balloon’ time is simply how fast we can provide a patient the appropriate care when they are having a heart attack,” explained Dr. Aseem Vashist, assistant director of cardiac catheter laboratories, Saint Francis Hospital. “The balloon, as we call it, is the device we use to open the valve in the heart and ultimately stop the heart attack. The faster we can restore the flow of blood to the heart, the more favorable the prognosis and outcome for the patient.”
The ability to minimize the time a heart attack is occurring has lessened the number of patients through the hospital’s doors who will progress to heart failure, Dr. Vashist went on to say. He added that by shaving off those valuable seconds fewer medications are likely needed moving forward, which will directly impact a patient’s longevity of life and ultimately reduce mortality rates.
Care for a heart attack patient, however, does not simply end with stopping the episode. The Hoffman Heart and Vascular Institute also boasts a thriving post-heart attack and post-surgical rehabilitation program.
“We are the leaders in cardiac rehab,” said Dr. Vashist. “We know that when a patient participates in our cardiac rehabilitation program there is a proven reduction in mortality related to heart disease.”
The Cardiac Rehabilitation Program at Saint Francis provides specialized, unique, and preventive options to patients. In addition to yoga, Zumba, Thai Chi, balance, and other physical activity classes, the program offers smoking cessation classes and weekly support groups. Among the programs offered is the Life-care Program used to assess individuals who may be at risk for cardiovascular disease and provides them with education and prevention tools to make the necessary changes before a heart attack occurs.
Additionally, the center offers a the largest Women’s Heart Program in the region, which has provided cardiac health education and risk assessments to more than eleven thousand women in the greater Hartford area since its inception. The free program, a true testament to the value of the power of prevention, creates an opportunity for women with a high risk for heart disease to have direct access to registered dieticians, certified exercise physiologists, registered nurses, and cardiologists, with the hopes of empowering them with the knowledge, tools, and skills necessary to reduce their risk and lead long, healthy lives.
“We focus on women who are underserved in our communities and on women who tend to have higher risk factors that may lead to heart disease,” said Dr. Kelsey. “Women, very often, are the caretakers of the family and usually spend little time taking care of themselves. We get out, into their communities to meet with them face to face and educate them on signs and symptoms of heart disease, on the value of nutrition and exercise, and on the importance of making their own health a top priority.”
Award Winning Care
With an aging population the need for expertise in cardiovascular care is rising. Patients have their choice of hospitals and physicians, but few have accomplished the long list of accolades as the team at the Hoffman Heart and Vascular Institute at Saint Francis.
The center has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® and the American Heart Association’s Heart-Check mark for Advanced Certification in Heart Failure, both achievements coming from highly respected organizations, validating the center as a symbol of quality.
Among several other repeated recognitions, for several consecutive years the institute has also been awarded the Get With The Guidelines®–Heart Failure Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award from the American Heart Association, an achievement recognizing the center’s ability to implement specific quality improvement measures outlined by the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology Foundation’s secondary prevention guidelines for heart failure patients. This is the third consecutive year that Hoffman Heart has been recognized with the Gold Plus quality achievement award.
No award, however, compares to the flood of patient testimonials and success stories that pour out of the center and Saint Francis Hospital. Patient after patient return to the center week after week, following a cardiovascular event or as a means to prevent one, attending rehabilitation classes and workout sessions, they march emphatically on the treadmill or bop their way to health in the latest Zumba class. They are the ultimate reward and the driving force that keeps the team of experts at Saint Francis leading the way to better heart health for all.
