Why Some Are “Opting Out” Of Heart Transplants

Thanks to some remarkable technology, patients at Ohio State University Medical Center are choosing to take themselves off of the heart transplant waiting list and are living to tell about it with the help of a ventricular assist device (VAD).

Mechanical Support Provides Options For Heart Patients

It wasn’t long ago that options were limited for those suffering from heart failure. Patients remained on a transplant list until a heart became available. There were not many alternatives.

Since heart failure is one of the largest and fastest growing areas of cardiovascular disease, clinicians at The Ohio State Univeristy Medical Center are working to solve this problem. With many patients suffering severe or end-stage disease, the need for therapeutic alternatives continues to grow.

Image credit: CDC

One advancement has been the use of Ventricular assist devices (VAD), commonly known as heart pumps, which take over the pumping function for one or both of the heart’s ventricles, and are used as bridges to transplant and, in some cases, as long-term therapies for chronically ill patients.

Ohio State was one of nation’s leading enrollers in a recent randomized, multi-center trial testing the effectiveness of a second generation VAD that is smaller, lighter and longer lasting than its predecessor. While overall two-year survival rates were at 58 percent for all study participants, patients enrolled at Ohio State experienced survival rates approximately ten percent higher at both one and two years, in addition to improved quality of life. The device recently received Food and Drug Administration approval as a destination therapy for heart failure patients.

According to Dr. Benjamin Sun, director of cardiothoracic surgery at the Ohio State University Medical Center, those results point to the continued use and benefit of VADs to help patients who are poor transplant candidates regain enough physical and nutritional health to make them strong and successful transplant recipients.

“VADs are the ultimate rehabilitative therapy and allow most patients to achieve some level of healing in their hearts,” adds Sun. “Many people who receive these pumps achieve a very good quality of life, and may decide to keep the pump for years instead of receiving a transplant.”

More information about Ohio State’s Richard M. Ross Heart Hospital.

State of the Ohio State University Medical Center 2010

Steven G. Gabbe, M.D. delivers OSU State of the Medical Center presentation

Today, Dr. Steven G. Gabbe delivered The Ohio State University State of the Medical Center presentation: Improving People’s Lives through Personalized Health Care.  Dr. Gabbe’s presentation outlined the incredible work done last year at OSU Medical Center and outlined the plan for 2010. 

You can see Dr. Gabbe’s complete presentation here:

Dr. Gabbe to Deliver State of the Medical Center Address

You’re invited to attend the State of the Medical Center presentation: Improving People’s Lives through Personalized Health Care on Jan. 26, 4 p.m. in 160 Meiling Hall.

Hear directly from Steven G. Gabbe, MD, CEO, OSU Medical Center, about our accomplishments and new opportunities to enhance our growth and improve our performance. A reception will immediately follow the presentation.

If you cannot attend in person, a Webcast will be available here once the meeting begins.

If you’re on twitter, we will be using hashtag #OSUsomc

Columbus Hope for Haiti

Columbus comes together today to bring hope to Haiti.

Until 7 p.m. today at the Ohio Historical Society, your monetary donation can help provide the supplies Haiti needs most. The drive-through fundraiser, located at the Ohio Historical Society parking lot, benefits the American Red Cross’ relief efforts in Haiti.

Columbus media from TV, radio and print, Mayor Michael B. Coleman and American Red Cross volunteers will be there to accept cash to checks payable to American Red Cross Haiti Relief Now.

Other ways you can help:

• Fan the Facebook page
• Tweet using the #Cbus4Haiti hashtag
• Make a secure online contribution by visiting www.redcross.org. You can choose to designate your contribution to the 
International Response Fund or for the Haiti response specifically
• Text “Haiti” to 90999 to make a $10 donation to the Red Cross

Click here for more information.

Why Top Talent Chooses Ohio State

Ten superstar doctors, researchers and administrators who joined The Ohio State University Medical Center in the past year talk about the factors that attracted them here over other cities and other academic medical centers.

Learn more about career opportunities at OSU Medical Center, visit us online at http://medicalcenter.osu.edu/careers.

View this document on Scribd

Special Parking Information Due to Winter Weather

Ohio State University Traffic and Parking will be raising the gate arms to all campus and hospital garages (except the Safeauto Hospitals Garage which will remain restricted to patient parking only) by 10pm tonight and we are encouraging all third shift staff on central campus to park in a garage rather than in a surface parking lot (regardless of the type of OSU permit they have).

We are putting the electronic messageboards out east of the stadium and in the west of Cannon Polo lots to let staff know.This will allow us to clear the surface parking lots faster and allow the staff to park under cover. Garage gates will go back down on Friday morning at 7am.

Staff still parked inside garages will be allowed out at no fee. Our staff will be on campus beginning at 9pm to begin clearing surface parking lots and garage roofs and entrance/exit lanes.

Vote for The Ohio State University Medical Center to Receive a $10,000 Grant in the Allstate Foundation Parents Are the Key Contest!

In recognition of our work to help combat the No. 1 killer of teens – car crashes – OSU Medical Center has been selected as one of five organizations to participate in the Parents Are the Key Contest for a chance to receive a $10,000 grant from The Allstate Foundation. But, we need your help!

From now through January 1, 2010, please vote once a day for OSU Medical Center at the following Web site: http://ParentsAretheKeyContest.com. The group with the most votes by New Year Day’s will receive a $10,000 grant from The Allstate Foundation, to further support teen safe driving efforts.

Each year, more than 4,000 teens – an average of 11 a day – are killed in car crashes. Most teen-involved crashes are preventable, caused by driver inexperience and distractions. Created by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in partnership with The Allstate Foundation, the “Parents Are the Key” campaign encourages parents to take an active role in keeping teens safe behind the wheel.

Whether you’re a parent of a teen driver or not, you can help save teen lives and make the roads safer by casting your vote today at http://ParentsAretheKeyContest.com. With your support, we can continue our work to prevent teen car crashes.

Thanks for all your support and remember to vote daily!

For more ways you can help save teen lives, visit http://www.cdc.gov/parentsarethekey or http://www.protectteendrivers.com.