Our Open Heart Surgery Program at Summerlin Hospital Medical Center started in January 2006, and our first year has exceeded our expectations. We performed more than 180 procedures by the end of 2006, more than doubling the number of procedures required under Nevada regulations.

With the opening of the program, Summerlin Hospital began offering diagnostic and interventional cardiac catheterization procedures, coronary artery bypass and heart valve surgeries, and noncardiac procedures, including surgery for thoracic and abdominal aneurysms, lung surgery, carotid artery surgery and leg bypass procedures.

Summerlin Hospital Open Heart Surgery team members celebrate the program's first anniversary with Susan Rodriguez, the hospital's first open heart surgery patient. The team includes (from left): Brad Umsted, RN, CCRN, Director of Cardiac Services; Amy Pfeiffer, RN, MSN, CCRN, Clinical Nurse Specialist; Rodriguez; Nancy Donahoe, MD; Terry Burger, RN; Mark Scheller, MD; and Demetrios Mavroidis, MD.

"Last year marked the first time that residents in the western suburbs of Las Vegas could receive complex cardiac care in one convenient location close to home," says Nancy Donahoe, MD, a cardiothoracic surgeon and Medical Director of The Heart Institute at Summerlin Hospital. "What sets our program apart from other city hospitals is our unique patient-focused model of care."

Traditionally, patients undergoing cardiac procedures move from unit to unit as their conditions improve. At The Heart Institute at Summerlin Hospital, patients stay in the Cardiovascular Care Unit (CVCU) -- a 16-bed unit featuring private rooms. In the CVCU, nursing care revolves around patients.

"We've made patient comfort a priority and created a one-stop shopping approach to care," says Brad Umsted, RN, CCRN, Director of Cardiac Services at Summerlin Hospital. "Patients stay in the CVCU for their entire hospital stays, and we adjust our nursing care based on their changing needs."

By remaining in the CVCU, patients and their families benefit.

"We're able to develop better bonds with patients and family members because patients stay in one unit," says Amy Pfeiffer, RN, MSN, CCRN, a cardiovascular clinical nurse specialist at Summerlin Hospital. "We also have more time to educate them about what they should do to stay healthy and avoid future cardiac problems."

For more information about The Heart Institute at Summerlin Hospital, please visit www.summerlinhospital.org.

The Valley Health System c/o Valley Hospital Medical Center 620 Shadow Lane Las Vegas, NV 89106