Success at Scott & White
VADs because they do not qualify as candidates for transplantation , perhaps because they are too old or too weak .
Scott & White has its own criteria to determine which patients are eligible for a permanent VAD . “ They have to be able to go back to their family to live a full and meaningful life ,” says Dr . Gongora . Patients with VADS enjoy a good quality of life : they no longer feel short of breath , they can exercise again , they can return to work .
While a permanent VAD requires much care and responsibility , outcomes have been positive , Dr . Nair says . Nationally , the survival rate for longterm VADs patients is 80 percent through the patient ’ s first and second years of therapy .
ECLS capabilities to expand Dr . Zehr plans to build on Scott & White ’ s multidisciplinary approach
Success at Scott & White
Extracorporeal Life Support Program Survival Rates
100 %
0 %
50 %
28 %
National Average
Scott & White to care by adding to the healthcare system ’ s “ Code Blue ” team . A Code Blue is triggered whenever a patient in the hospital goes into cardiac arrest . When a patient arrests , he or she is quickly attended by several specialists who perform CPR , or cardiopulmonary resuscitation . Dr . Zehr envisions that a team member in the hospital is available at all times to assess whether a Code Blue patient is eligible for ECLS therapy .
Another aspect of the planned expansion is to have a transport team collect ECLS candidates from regional hospitals throughout Texas and bring them to Scott & White . “ The concept is a similar model to the Mayo Clinic facility in Scottsdale , Arizona . We would take a team to hospitals where patients are dying and place them on support to bring them back ,” Dr . Zehr says . The transport team would use ambulances , helicopters , and airplanes to retrieve
Scott & White is a member of ELSO , the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization , which tracks the statistics of member hospitals that have active ECLS programs . Scott & White ’ s program has a survival rate of 50 percent , above the 28 percent national average . A 50 percent survival rate is considered high when one considers that ECLS is a last-chance option and patients are gravely ill by the time cardiothoracic surgeons see them .
“ eCLS is therapy for the sickest patients there are ,” says Dr . Gongora .
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet , consectetur adipiscing elit . Fusce ornare , dui iaculis tristique commodo , nibh ipsum viverra mauris , volutpat auctor magna mi a sapien . patients from as far away as El Paso , Odessa , Midland , Laredo , and Amarillo .
Drs . Zehr and Gongora stay abreast of the technological advances in cardiothoracic surgery and ECLS equipment the usual way — by attending conferences and reading technical journals . But they also remain in close contact with representatives of the companies that develop the equipment . “ There ’ s a constant barrage of information coming from them . It ’ s a pretty small community of companies that make such high-tech equipment , and only a few hundred hospitals that have it ,” says Dr . Zehr . “ CEOs at these companies respect Scott & White ’ s commitment to leading-edge care .” Scott & White should be one of the first 14 hospitals in the United States to receive a portable ECMO machine , designed for medical transportation , when it comes on the market this year .
One year after Mrs . Gilmer received a second chance at life , she feels stronger each day , and she ’ s back to chasing the Gilmers ’ children , ages 2 through 7 , around the house . “ There ’ s no difference there ,” says her husband . He feels blessed that Scott & White made the commitment to bring the latest lifesaving technology to Central Texas . “ I ’ m so grateful they had physicians there who were forward-thinking in how to take care of people , and think outside the box .”
“ I love Scott & White with all my heart ,” says Mrs . Gilmer . n
sw . org | Winter / Spring 12 The Catalyst 23