Remarkable care, right from the heart: The CardioVascular Institute at Washington Adventist Hospital

Today Show with Matt Lauer features leading Washington Adventist Hospital Cardiologist

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THIS ISSUE:Special care nursery comes through for baby Keiyana p. 4How are you doing with your New Year’s Resolutions? p. 5

New CT Scanner gives you an edge

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The Grissett Family, Takoma Park

Special Care Nursery Comes Through for Baby Keiyana page 4

Spring 2006

For a free physician referral, call 800-642-0101 or visit www.WashingtonAdventistHospital.com

as you may be aware, in September 2005, the

Board of Trustees of Adventist HealthCare

approved an Expanded Vision for Washington

Adventist Hospital. It includes six initiatives designed

to ensure continued access to care for under-served

populations and the development of improved

health care facilities and services

for the community. I am pleased to

provide you with an update on our

Expanded Vision:

• Development of a Center on

Health Disparities that combines

clinical care, research and

education for historically

under-served populations within

the hospital’s service area. A Blue

Ribbon Panel, comprised of a

distinguished array of experts

with experience in addressing

health care issues among various

populations, is currently meeting

to provide guidance for the

formation of the Center. Later this

year, the Panel will

produce a report for Adventist HealthCare with

recommendations on the development,

implementation and oversight of the Center.

• Re-development of the hospital’s Board of

Directors to better reflect the diverse community

the hospital serves. Recently, the following new

Board Members

have been elected:

Frankie Blackburn,

Executive Director,

IMPACT Silver

Spring; Marcellus

Robinson, Senior Pastor, Emmanuel Brinklow

Seventh-Day Adventist Church; and Gustavo

Torres, Executive Director, CASA de Maryland.

We hope to announce further additions to our

Board in the near future.

In addition, the other components of the Expanded

Vision for Washington Adventist Hospital include:

• Development of a health care center in the Long

Branch community that provides access to primary

and urgent medical care. The proposed location for

this facility is near the intersection of Flower Avenue

and Piney Branch Road.

• Initiation of the process of moving Washington

Adventist Hospital to a new campus that enhances

the hospital’s ability to meet the needs of all residents.

• Support for a health center/gymnasium that is

part of the re-development of the Takoma Park

Municipal Building.

• Working with CASA de Maryland and others on a

multi-year commitment to expand available health

care resources to the immigrant community.

I look forward to providing you with additional

updates as we continue moving forward with the

Expanded Vision for Washington Adventist

Hospital. Thank you for your support of Washington

Adventist Hospital.

Sincerely

Jere D. StocksPresidentWashington Adventist Hospital

www.WashingtonAdventistHospital.com2 Foraphysicianreferral,call800-642-0101 Spring2006

Take a Closer Look at Our Vision

Jere Stocks

President of Washington Adventist Hospital

I am pleased to provide you with an update on our Expanded Vision.

Washington Adventist Hospital has acquired a new, state-

of-the-art, 64-Slice CT Scanner to provide incredibly clear

images of the internal structures of the body. This leading

edge technology gives our physicians the kind of detailed information

they need to diagnose disease and life-threatening illnesses —

from head to toe — through a non-invasive procedure.

“Our physicians are now able to capture images of a beating

heart in five heartbeats, an organ in one second or a whole

body trauma scan in 10 seconds.

This is more than twice as fast

as conventional multi-slice CT

scanners,” said Bruce Rubin,

M.D., Chairman of the Radiology

Department. “It is the ability of the

64-Slice CT Scanner to capture images so quickly that makes the

pictures so much sharper than conventional CT Scanners.”

In a single rotation, the 64-Slice CT Scanner creates 64 high-

resolution anatomical images as thin as a credit card. These images

are combined to form a three-dimensional view of the patient’s

anatomy that aid in detailed analysis of these key areas, among others:

• Cardiovascular — The 64-Slice CT Scanner can capture images

of the whole heart and coronary arteries in just 5 heartbeats,

providing clearer images of cardiovascular anatomy. This is

especially important because the resulting image may be so

clear that patients can avoid the need for an invasive cardiac

catheterization procedure to diagnose heart disease.

• Chest pain — The 64-Slice CT Scanner gives physicians an

incredibly detailed view, allowing them to immediately detect

the three primary causes of mortality in patients with chest

pain — aortic dissection, pulmonary embolism and coronary

artery disease.

• Stroke — Once a stroke occurs, every second counts. Studies

have shown that the best outcomes

are achieved for stroke patients when

treatment is initiated in the first

hour. The 64-Slice CT Scanner

offers the speed and resolution

required for rapid imaging of blood

vessels in the brain. Our physicians are now able to make a

quick diagnosis and determine the best course of treatment while

reducing the number of exams a patient may need to undergo.

Acquiring this state-of-the-art CT technology helps us to

better fulfill our mission to deliver excellent health care to the

community we serve.

For more information about the 64-Slice CT Scanner,

please contact your personal physician or Bruce Rubin, M.D.,

Chairman of the Radiology Department, or Frank Sines, RT, Lead

Technologist, at 301-891-5106.

Foraphysicianreferral,call800-642-0101 Spring2006 3

Bruce Rubin, M.D., Chairman of the Radiology Department, prepares a patient for imaging in the new state-of-the-art CT Scanner.

The Latest Technology at Washington Adventist Hospital

Getting the Sharpest Picture Gives You the Edge

This leading edge technology gives our physicians the kind of detailed information they need.

Vermeatha Grissett went to her doctor’s appointment on

Thursday, November 17th for her bi-weekly visit. She was

scheduled to deliver her baby by cesarean section three weeks

later. After being examined, her physician told her that she

needed to move her scheduled cesarean up one week. So instead

of their next scheduled office visit, she was going to meet her at

the hospital.

Vermeatha’s doctor recommended she go to

Washington Adventist Hospital to deliver her baby. “I

didn’t know what to expect. I wasn’t that familiar with

Washington Adventist,” Vermeatha said.

Vermeatha arrived at Washington Adventist Hospital

at 5:30 a.m. She was already pre-registered so she was

taken right upstairs for her C-section. “I was nervous.

Actually, I was ready to jump off the table. It had been

eight years since I’d given birth,” Vermeatha recalled.

”I was able to bond with my daughter in the special care nursery and know that she was in good hands. They made it so much easier for us.”

— Vermeatha Grissett

“Everyone went out of their way to put me at ease. The

nurse even held my hand. They were absolutely wonderful and

I felt so comfortable. You could tell they were happy to be there.”

Keiyana Christine Jackson was born on November 29 at

9:10 a.m. She weighed 6lbs 8oz. But Keiyana was having trouble

breathing. She had a rapid heart rate and needed to be kept on

oxygen. She was also having trouble adjusting to the feedings

and had to be fed by tube at times. Keiyana spent eight days in

the special care nursery, some of which was spent in an incubator.

“I didn’t want to leave her, but the physicians and nurses

were fabulous. They gave me their numbers so I could contact

them if I had any questions. They explained everything that was

going on. I was able to bond with my daughter in

the special care nursery and know

that she was in good hands. They

made it so much easier for us.”

Keiyana had developed a break in her lungs that allowed air

to leak into her chest cavity. This condition, in which air surrounds

the lungs, is not uncommon in infants with breathing problems.

But, it can be life threatening. In order to remove the air from around

her lungs, Cathie Purushothaman, M.D., a neonatologist at Washington

Adventist Hospital, put in a chest tube which drained the air

from the chest cavity and allowed the lung to re-expand.

Today, Keiyana is a healthy, happy baby girl. “Even with

all the challenges, I had a wonderful experience at Washington

Adventist Hospital. It was perfect,” Vermeatha said.

To learn more about our maternity services visit us at

www.WashingtonAdventistHospital.com and click on Maternity.

www.WashingtonAdventistHospital.com

Special Care Nursery Helps the Youngest Patients

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Penny Clark, RN has worked at Washington Adventist Hospital for 25 years. Penny, her father, and her children were all born at Washington Adventist Hospital.

if you’re like most people, your New Year’s resolutions

probably included a pledge to take better care of your

health. Perhaps you vowed to eat better, control stress,

and get more exercise. All good ideas, but there may be

other areas of your health that deserve a resolution of their

own. For example, do you know how high your risk might

be for some of the most common life-threatening diseases in

America, such as heart disease and cancer? Now that 2006 is

well underway, here are some important steps you can take to

understand and reduce your risks:

Learn how to prevent and manage heart disease. Cholesterol and blood pressure tests are simple ways to

assess your risk for heart disease. And beyond these tests,

according to Mark Turco, M.D., Director of the Center for Cardiac and

Vascular Research of Washington Adventist Hospital, our cardiologists

can now employ cutting-edge technologies — such as 64-slice scanners

and Electron Beam Tomography — to obtain highly detailed

information about your level of risk for heart disease.

get screened for cancer. We’ve all heard about the importance of detecting and treating cancers as early as

possible. The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends:

• All adults over 50 should be screened for colorectal cancer;

• All women should begin having regular mammograms

at age 40;

• Women should begin having regular pap smears

within three years of becoming sexually active and;

• Men over age 40 should discuss prostate cancer screening

with their doctor, since the benefit is very individual, and

related to a number of factors.

Washington Adventist Hospital has the latest diagnostic and screening technologies

to provide the health information you and your doctor need. Health screenings are an

important part of taking better care of yourself and keeping those New Year’s

resolutions. For more information about any of the tests mentioned above,

please contact your doctor or Washington Adventist Hospital at 800-542-5096.

How are you doing with your New Year’s Resolutions?

FREE Cancer Screening Day, Sunday, May 7thOn Sunday, May 7th, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., Washington Adventist Hospital will provide free screenings for prostate (DRE and PSA), colorectal, bladder, skin and oral cancer screenings. For more information, please contact 800-542-5096.

5 Foraphysicianreferral,call800-642-0101 Spring2006

Penny Clark, RN has worked at Washington Adventist Hospital for 25 years. Penny, her father, and her children were all born at Washington Adventist Hospital.

the words come with a jolt: “You need heart surgery.” For

Marvin Jeffries of Clinton, Maryland, when told that he had a

defective heart valve, the prospects of a lengthy operation and

recuperation seemed inevitable.

Says Jeffries, “After talking with my doctor, we decided to

repair the valve, rather than replace it with an artificial one.” Still,

he approached the journey to wellness

with some trepidation. So, what

exactly are the important factors when

evaluating cardiovascular programs?

And how do you know which program

is right for you?

“You have only one heart. So when it comes to its care, you want a hospital with real experience.”

— Gary Ward, Executive Director of Surgical Services at Washington Adventist Hospital

Explains Gary Ward, Executive

Director of Surgical Services at Washington Adventist Hospital,

“You have only one heart. So when it comes to its care, you

want a hospital with real experience. You want a hospital that

performs a high level of cardiovascular procedures each year.

You want a hospital that offers pioneering alternatives to

traditional treatments. And you want a hospital that combines

innovation with compassionate care.”

Jeffries and his doctor chose the CardioVascular Institute at

Washington Adventist Hospital. “Our combination of advanced,

minimally invasive procedures and personal attention appealed

to Marvin and his doctor,” says Ward.

Since its founding in 1907, Washington Adventist Hospital

has been distinguished by its pioneering work in prevention,

diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular illnesses.

Today, the hospital is building on its tradition of innovation

with the introduction of new procedures, including the one

that brought Marvin Jeffries to the hospital. Explains Ward,

“Traditionally, this surgery would be an ‘open heart’ procedure,

but with a new minimally invasive approach, only an incision

about the length of a playing card is required.”

Advantages of this minimally invasive approach include less

patient angst, a faster recovery time and, most importantly, a

quick return to work with minimal pain.

It’s known as a Port Access heart valve surgery. Sanjiv

Lakhanpal, M.D. performed one of the area’s first at Washington

Adventist Hospital on August 10th, 2005. The procedure can be

used to replace or repair either the

aortic or mitral valve.

Patients for the procedure

need to be very carefully selected.

As Lakhanpal explains, “After

an extensive workup by Cardiologist,

Radhey Murarka, M.D., the patient

was deemed to be an appropriate

candidate for the minimally

invasive procedure.”

Jeffries’ heart valve repair

went as expected. There were no

complications, little scarring or pain

and a brief recovery. In short, says

Jeffries, it was “miraculous.” He is

now back at home, enjoying life

with his two-month old son.

“Our combination of advanced, minimally invasive procedures and personal attention appealed to Marvin and his doctor.”

— Gary Ward

Says Ward, “What we hear most from our

patients is how every member of the team worked

together on their care, to ensure that the

patient’s needs were met.”

What connects all the staff of

the CardioVascular Institute is their

unwavering dedication to providing

www.WashingtonAdventistHospital.com6

Remarkable care, right from the heart:The CardioVascular Institute at Washington Adventist Hospital

A happier Marvin Jeffries after a speedy recovery from heart valve surgery.

Sanjiv Lakhanpal, M.D., Cardiac Surgeon at the CardioVascular Institute at Washington Adventist Hospital.

Mark Turco, M.D., Cardiologist and Director of the Center for

Cardiac and Vascular Research at Washington Adventist Hospital,

was the featured expert on the Today Show’s special week-long

series, Saving Your Life: Modern Medical Miracles. The series features

breakthroughs in medical technology that can mean the difference

between life and death. Mark Turco, M.D. shared his clinical and

research expertise in a segment entitled “Simulators to Teach Medicine”

and taught Today Show co-host Matt Lauer to perform a simulated

cardiac catheterization. Simulation training programs provide hands-on

experience to health care providers without risks to patients.

Mark Turco, M.D. taught Today Show co-host Matt Lauer to perform a simulated cardiac catheterization.

Cardiac catheterization is performed to diagnose and treat a variety

of heart conditions. The procedure involves passing a thin, flexible

catheter into the heart, usually through a small incision in the groin area.

Patients treated through cardiac catheterization can be up and about the

same day, and can often be discharged from the hospital the day after

the procedure. The simulator Mark Turco, M.D. explained, “will enable

more physicians to be trained in performing the complex procedure.”

For more information on cardiac catheterizations, visit our Web

site at www.WashingtonAdventistHospital.com and click on Health

Information. To find a cardiovascular physician, call our physician referral

service at 800-642-0101.

www.WashingtonAdventistHospital.com Foraphysicianreferral,call800-642-0101 Spring2006 7

Remarkable care, right from the heart:The CardioVascular Institute at Washington Adventist Hospital

Today Show with Matt Lauer Features Leading Washington Adventist Hospital Cardiologist

patients with the very best. “It’s been our hallmark

for nearly a century,” says Keith Lindgren, M.D.,

Chairman of the CardioVascular Institute. “And it

will continue to be our hallmark into our next

century of care.”

For more information about this procedure,

please contact Gary Ward, Executive Director of

Surgical Services at 301-891-6338.

Mark Turco, M.D. on the Today Show set with co-host Matt Lauer.

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Copyright ©2006, Washington Adventist Hospital

The Gala is back!Support the health of patients served by Washington Adventist Hospital in grand style!

the Eighteenth Annual Black Tie Gala will be held at the

Bethesda North Marriott Hotel and Conference Center on

April 1, 2006, from 7:00 p.m. until midnight.

This elegant evening will include a reception, silent auction,

dinner, and live entertainment. Proceeds from individual ticket

sales, table sponsorships, auction items, and advertising space

in the event program will help strengthen Washington

Adventist Hospital’s wide array of services.

The Gala registration form is now available online! For

more details,visit www.WashingtonAdventistHospital.com/

Gala or call the Foundation at 301-445-4224.