Forbes Hospital welcomes Dr . Hazem El-Khatib .
In July , cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon Dr . Hazem El-Khatib joined AHN as Director of Cardiac Surgery at Forbes Hospital . In addition to expertise in a variety of cardiac surgeries and minimally invasive techniques , Dr . El-Khatib brings a wealth of experience in healthcare management and patient care .
“ I ’ ve had a very positive experience at Forbes Hospital . We ’ re committed to expanding and continually investing in our cardiovascular capabilities ,” Dr . El-Khatib said . Originally from Lebanon , Dr . El-Khatib decided to pursue cardiac surgery after observing an open heart surgery as a second-year medical student . “ I was totally blown away . Completely flabbergasted . I knew this was what I wanted to do .” Patients and their families remain top of mind in Dr . El-Khatib ’ s care philosophy . “ The connection with patients and their families is huge to me . People are trusting us with their lives . I treat them like family , because anything less than that is unacceptable ,” Dr . El-Khatib said .
HAZEM EL-KHATIB , MD THORACIC AND CARDIAC SURGERY
For Dr . El-Khatib , it ’ s an exciting time to be at AHN Forbes Hospital . “ There ’ s been a transformation in the cardiovascular program , and we ’ re continuing to invest in the teams and technology so patients can receive outstanding care .”
Renovation meets innovation .
In an effort to continue delivering the highest levels of cardiac care , Forbes Hospital completed renovation on their cardiac catheterization lab in July 2022 . “ AHN and the hospital itself have significant resources , including the cath lab renovation , which fortifies our comprehensive cardiac surgery program and our cardiovascular capabilities in general ,” said Dr . Hazem El-Khatib , Director of Cardiac Surgery at Forbes Hospital .
The newly renovated cath lab accelerates cardiac care delivery , such as transcatheter aortic valve replacement
( TAVR ). “ This is performed in a hybrid room , a combination of an operating room and a cath lab . These aortic procedures used to be open heart surgery . Now they ’ re done through the groin using a catheter and the patients can go home the next day . Forbes Hospital has had this for the past few years ,” said Dr . El-Khatib .
For Dr . El-Khatib , offering state-of-the-art cardiovascular capabilities locally is critical . “ We all function as a team to care for patients locally , so they don ’ t have to travel for advanced care . We offer the vast majority of services right here in the community .”
FOR APPOINTMENTS OR MORE INFORMATION , CALL ( 412 ) DOCTORS OR VISIT AHN . ORG / FORBES .