With 11 successful open heart surgeries to its credit between the April grand opening and the beginning of August, NorthBay Heart & Vascular Center is right on target to becoming Solano County’s premier center, according to Diana Sullivan, Ph.D., director of the cardiovascular service line.

“In the last 18 months, we’ve moved at dizzying speeds, building, creating, and implementing the Cardiovascular Operating Room, the Peripheral Vascular Lab, the Interventional Cardiology Lab, the Chest Pain Center, and Mended Hearts, a support group for patients,” said Sullivan.

During a review of the “First 10” surgeries in July, Dr. Ramzi Deeik reported that 90 percent of NorthBay’s procedures have used the so-called “beating heart surgery,” during which the surgeon repairs a heart while it continues to pump blood to the body.

This technique has no doubt contributed to successful outcomes, as patients who undergo beating heart surgeries tend to recover faster and with less stress to their bodies.

In California and throughout the nation, only 20 percent of patients are treated using the procedure.

In addition to nine off-pump surgeries, and one traditional coronary artery bypass surgery, NorthBay’s team also performed a valve replacement surgery.

“The project development is the culmination of the 20-year vision of Gary Passama, NorthBay Healthcare president/CEO with the supportive leadership of Chief Nursing Officer Kathy Richerson and unprecedented teamwork of the hospital management,” said Sullivan.

“There is a lot of excitement, and a nice thing that I see when I come to the hospital is how the nurses’ faces are all glowing, they are so proud to take care of heart patients,” said Dr. Deeik during a summer service line meeting.

NorthBay Medical Center has dedicated a room, located near the front lobby, for families and friends of heart and vascular patients. The room, formerly a meditation area, has been set up to be a private, comfortable suite where the family can watch television or rest while waiting for their loved one.

http://wellspring.northbay.org/articles/cardiac-surgery-has-successful-start