cases . And the proximity to resources at the Gary and Mary West Senior Emergency Care Unit as well as Altman Clinical and Translational Research Institute means patients have ready access to an expanded array of services .”
In the clinical realm , the goal was to leverage this highly effective and integrated model to innovate new treatments for patients and lead the advancement of the cardiovascular field . “ At the time ,” said Vice Chancellor for Health Sciences Dr . David Brenner , “ we were envisioning the incredible impact a dedicated cardiovascular center could have on UC San Diego Health and UC San Diego Health Sciences . We knew that by investing in the center , we would effectively be accelerating innovative research and discovery and , at the same time , positioning ourselves to be a national leader in cardiovascular patient care .”
Some of the cardiovascular innovations UC San Diego Health has led include performing the county ’ s first FDA-approved carotid stent procedure
( Top ) Dr . Michael Madani , executive director of surgery for the Cardiovascular Institute . ( Below ) Dr . Ehtisham Mahmud , executive director of medicine for the Cardiovascular Institute .
to prevent stroke , innovating the use of lead-extraction surgery to replace the thin wiring of heart devices such as pacemakers or implantable defibrillators , and pioneering pulmonary thromboendarterectomy surgical procedures to remove deadly clots from the lungs and restore blood flow .
Today , the center ’ s leadership is eager to see where the future will take Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center . Dr . Michael Madani , executive director of surgery for the Cardiovascular Institute , already sees signs of big things on the horizon . “ Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center and the Cardiovascular Institute now have multiple units across the county , a kind of ubiquity in San Diego that was something we were always hoping for but not something we could expect until it became a reality . Having our protocols practiced in so many places means that patients can have access to our care at clinics close to home , and if they have really complex needs , they can come to La Jolla for additional services ,” said Madani . “ What Rich and Gaby Sulpizio have done goes beyond what meets the eye . They have given the San Diego community a premier cardiovascular center so that no San Diegan need leave the comfort of their city for cardiovascular care ,” he added .
Dr . Ehtisham Mahmud , executive director of medicine for the Cardiovascular Institute , is also excited for the future . “ We have been one of the top cardiovascular centers in the past decade , and over the next 5 – 10 years we see ourselves in the top five as a referral center for the country and the world . Diseases that were not treatable just a few years ago now are . In the next decade , we plan on expanding the excellence available here so that new
Cardio Acclaim
Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center is at the forefront of cardiovascular care :
▶ FIRST in the county to provide heart-transplant ( up to 100 / year ) and heart-lung-transplant services as well as minimally invasive surgery
▶ FIRST program on the West Coast to perform a DCD heart transplant
▶ TOP NATIONAL PROGRAMS in both heart and lung re-transplant ( up to 60 lung transplants / year ) and more than 200 balloon pulmonary angioplasty procedures each year
▶ THE TOP PULMONARY THROMBOENDARTERECTOMY PROGRAM in the world , performing more than 200 each year
▶ $ 30 MILLION per year in grant support and 26 NIH RO1 grants
▶ HOME TO 30 FELLOWS publishing 200 manuscripts annually
technologies and techniques become synonymous with Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center and the Cardiovascular Institute ,” said Mahmud . He continued , “ We are a national and international referral hub for complex cardiovascular care , number one in the county and 23rd in the nation for cardiology and cardiac surgery . The Sulpizios made that possible .”
Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center is a reality because of the transformational gift and vision of philanthropists like Gaby and Rich Sulpizio . And through the dedicated commitment of its physician-scientists and the spirit of its trainees who learn to provide worldclass cardiovascular medicine , this year ’ s milestone marks a solid foundation for advanced cardiovascular care in the next 10 years and beyond .
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