Page 31 - PMCC on the Globe and Mail - 2016 Edition

SPotligHt on CliniCAl
A hole in the heart and life-saving minimally-invasive surgery at the PMCC will
forever link Amira Eapen, above, and Helen Papatheodorou, opposite page.
“Before the procedure, she
was always dizzy and vomiting
a lot, and her skin had turned
a horrible colour,” says Mr.
Papatheodorou. “But she goes in
for the procedure at the Toronto
General [Hospital] and an hour
later she’s fine, and she’s never can usually be closed through
gone near the oxygen machine
again.”
Dr. Osten’s expertise with
this type of closure procedure
spared both Ms. Eapen and Ms.
Papatheodorou from open heart
surgery, which comes with a
number of risks – such as the
chance of a heart attack, stroke, nickel, which is a key component
arrhythmia or even death – and
keeps patients in hospital for
about a week.
Recovery from open heart
surgery can take months,
depending on the age of the
patient, says Dr. Osten.
“With our minimally-invasive
procedure, patients leave the
hospital either the same day or
the next morning,” he says. “And
they can usually go back to their device that was nickel-free and
usual lifestyle within 24 hours.” came in sizes large enough to
The procedure is a great
option for patients across the
age spectrum – as proven by
the examples of Ms. Eapen and
Ms. Papatheodorou – and can
be a true lifesaver for much
older patients, who would
have a much-reduced chance
Winter 2017
nurSE Co-ordinAtorS
It takes a multidisciplinary team
of health professionals to look
after every patient at the Peter
Munk Cardiac Centre (PMCC). A
key member of every team is the
nurse co-ordinator, who works
closely with doctors and guides
patients through every step of
their journey at the PMCC.
“As nurses, our role is to make
sure that patients understand
and are well prepared for the
treatment that’s being prescribed
for them,” says Socorro (Sue)
Jimeno, Clinical Nurse Co-
ordinator of the Adult Structural
Heart Disease Program at the
PMCC. “We help to ensure
they have an overall positive
experience.”
The PMCC nurses have
specialized expertise in cardiac
care. Ms. Jimeno, for instance,
worked for many years in the
heart catheterization laboratory
at the Toronto General Hospital.
The experience gave her a
comprehensive understanding of
the heart’s anatomy.
of recovering from open heart trial, and I know he worked really But the value of the PMCC
surgery. hard to obtain that permission.” nurses goes well beyond their
But it almost didn’t happen for Dr. Horlick’s hard work paid off; medical knowledge. Ms. Jimeno
Ms. Eapen. Her condition, an the device manufacturer gave the says a big part of the role is to just
atrial septal defect – which Dr. PMCC a 24-hour window to use hold the patient’s hand.
Osten says is the most common the new implant. In July 2015, “Most of the time, patients are
type of heart defect in adults – Ms. Eapen cut short a vacation in nervous, so we spend a lot of time
Estonia and came to the PMCC, talking and listening to them,
the femoral vein in the groin where Drs. Osten and Horlick answering their questions and
with the standard device implant fitted her with the trial device. explaining what to expect from
that has been used for years. In “If that hadn’t happened, it a procedure,” she says. “It really
most cases of atrial septal defect, would have been open heart helps them to know that they can
patients can now avoid being surgery for me,” says Ms. Eapen. call a nurse who is dedicated to
treated with open heart surgery. “I’m very grateful for everything this area of medicine – this is what
Ms. Eapen had another problem they’ve done for me at the we do, day in and day out.” •
to contend with: she’s allergic to PMCC.”
of today’s most commonly
used devices to close holes in
the heart. She was not eligible
for the minimally-invasive
device closure. Dr. Eric Horlick,
another PMCC Interventional
Cardiologist who performed
the procedure along with Dr.
Osten and whom Ms. Eapen
had met when she first came to
the PMCC, told her about a new
cover atrial septal defect holes.
“But the problem was this
new device was still in trial – it Clinical Nurse Co-ordinator Sue Jimeno, along with
wasn’t available yet to be used for colleagues Ewa Binkowski, Kathy Svitak and Oksana
everyone,” recalls Ms. Eapen. “So Basovich are integral in supporting a patient’s journey
he had to get permission from from preparation to procedure and recovery.
the company to use the device on
me because I wasn’t part of the
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