On Heart Health from A Different Perspective

I came across a philosophical article the other day and it struck me as a grand reminder to manage stress. The mind-body connection is undeniable and as professionals in the cardiovascular industry, we know this all too well. That said, here are a few words excerpted as inspired:

The tragedy of human heart disease has motivated many medical researchers. As early as 1905 the heart of a dog was transplanted into another dog at the University of Chicago. But it wasn’t until 1967 that the celebrated South African surgeon Christiaan Barnard performed the transplant of a human heart. Mechanical hearts of various kinds have also met with some success. Notable was Barney Clark, who in 1982 became the first recipient of the Jarvik-7, a permanent-replacement artificial heart. He lived for 112 days attached to a cumbersome console. Another patient, William Schroeder, lived for 620 days after the implanting of a Jarvik–7.

The artificial heart is generally used to bridge patients over the waiting period until a suitable human heart becomes available for transplant. In 1985 Thomas Gaidosh received a Jarvik-7 and four days later a human heart. He lived 11 more years.

There have been many amazing developments in the field. Last summer in Louisville, Kentucky, surgeons implanted a revolutionary self-contained artificial heart into the chest of a terminally ill diabetic man. Though his condition had been grave, the device allowed him relief from other organ malfunctions by canceling the effect of his diseased heart.

These attempts at resolving physical disease demonstrate significant progress. But the heart is more than a muscular pump that is sometimes diseased. We also speak of it as the seat of emotional well-being. That may not be too far from the truth. Some years ago I interviewed a medical doctor, Redford Williams, who had written a book titled The Trusting Heart. His purpose was to show the toxic effect on the body of our own hostile spirit and, conversely, the physical benefits of a positive frame of mind. From his studies of the endocrine system and the effects of stress and emotion, he had discovered something that the ancients knew: Our emotions can keep us well or make us sick. Take these words of advice from the wisdom literature of Solomon: “A sound heart is life to the body, but envy is rottenness to the bones” (Proverbs 14:30). Further he wrote, “A merry heart does good, like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones” (Proverbs 17:22).....

Excerpt.

Source: Hulm, D., 2006, Reflections: Diseases of the Heart, vision.org, retrieved October 7, 2008 at

http://www.vision.org/visionmedia/article.aspx?id=1191

Regards,

Ralph E. Jordan
President & CEO

Harley Mechanic & The Heart Surgeon

A mechanic was removing a cylinder head from the motor of a Harley motorcycle when he spotted a well-known heart surgeon in his shop.

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The surgeon was there waiting for the service manager to come take a look at his bike. The mechanic shouted across the garage, "Hey, Doc, can I ask you a question?"

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The surgeon, a bit surprised, walked over to the mechanic working on the motorcycle. The mechanic straightened up, wiped his hands on a rag and asked, "So Doc, look at this engine. I open its heart, take valves out, fix 'em, put 'em back in, and when I finish, it works just like new. So how come I get such a small salary and you get the really big bucks, when you and I are doing basically the same work?"

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The surgeon paused, smiled and leaned over, and whispered to the mechanic, "Try doing it with the engine running."

This Says It All....

Monday, Sep. 01, 2008

In Wasilla, Pregnancy Was No Secret

By Nathan Thornburgh / WASILLA, ALASKA

So his name is Levi.

That's about the only thing I didn't know about Bristol Palin's pregnancy. The rest of the details I picked up almost without trying, while talking about other things with townsfolk — some who know the governor and her family well, some who don't. It was, more or less, an open secret. And everyone was saying the same thing: the governor's 17-year-old daughter is pregnant, the father is her boyfriend, and it's really nobody's business beyond that.

I happen to agree.

This tiny town wedged between the Chugach and Talkeetna mountain ranges has intrigued the whole country since John McCain's surprise Friday announcement that Wasilla's favorite daughter, Sarah Palin, would be his running mate. Sure, some of the interest was a prelude to attacks on Palin's readiness for national office. But Wasilla also offered a welcome chance to get specific about the geography of a politician. It's one of our most cherished myths, that a leader can come from somewhere and you can guess at their qualities not just by what they say, but by where they live.

Well, here's the deal: small towns have their own value systems, and in this situation those values are a lot more valid than the dispassionate, pushy inquisitiveness that political journalism encourages.

I just got off the phone with a longtime Wasilla resident. She had urged me to find time today to go up to Hatcher Pass — "the most beautiful place in the valley!" — when I mentioned that the story on Bristol's baby is now national news. Her voice slowed. "Oh," she said. "I'm so sorry. That's so unfair."

Wasilla seems at times to be utterly without guile. It's a large part of the town's charm, and it's exactly the quality that could make an unorthodox pick like Palin pay off. Don't get me wrong — she's a tough politician with sharp enough elbows on her own. But still, she appears to be more steeped in the values of her hometown than any politician I've ever come across.

Maybe that means Palin is a little too much Northern Exposure for America — after all, her father's good friend Curt Menard happily showed me a picture of the governor as a high schooler in 1981, in a root cellar with family and friends, helping skin and cube and cure a whole moose. It's enough to make you almost miss fake hunters like John Kerry and Mitt Romney.

People in Wasilla are Alaskan tough, so not only does a thing like teen pregnancy not seem like anyone's damn business, but it's also not seen as the calamity that so many people in the lower 48 states might think it is. This is dangerous country — it's not just the roughneck jobs on cable reality shows. It's real life here. I listened to the absolutely heartbreaking story of how the godfather of Track Palin, Sarah's oldest son, died in a small plane crash just minutes after having dropped off four kids. Another family invited me into their home and told their incredible story; with one son in Iraq, their other son was working on a conveyor line in Anchorage, got caught in the belt and had his head partially crushed. He lived to stand across the kitchen table from me and his parents, looking fully healed just three months later, grinning at his dumb luck and wondering what comes next in life. "It makes you realize that a thing like a little teenage pregnancy isn't such a big deal," his mom said. "Bristol — and lots of other girl like her out there — are going to be just fine."

If you haven't guessed yet, the people here are genuinely friendly. Even those in Palin's inner sanctum who have been told since Friday not to talk to reporters by McCain's media team are almost apologetic that they can't be neighborly and chat, since you came all this way to little Wasilla. And those who can talk, do. All weekend they had the decency not to pretend that they didn't know the governor's eldest daughter was pregnant. But they also expected decency in return, that I wouldn't be the kind of person to make sport out of a young girl's slip.

The fact is, regardless of what you will hear over the next few days, Bristol's pregnancy is not a legitimate political issue. Sarah Palin is a long-term member of a group called Feminists for Life, which is not opposed to birth control. So you probably can't tag her for consigning young people to unwanted pregnancies.

You can argue that it was ham-handed of the McCain campaign — they had to have known, right? — to somehow let this drop just a few days after the announcement. Pregnancy does show, and it does have a ticking clock. The story was going to come out eventually.

As for the idea — sure to be floated — that the avowedly antiabortion Palin might have pressured her poor daughter to ruin her life by carrying an unwanted baby to term, I wouldn't bet on it. The Palin family seems to share the same pro-life values going as far back as anyone here can remember, and it wouldn't be at all surprising if Bristol wore those values, however imperfectly, as her own. At least, that's what the town thinks. And Wasilla, above all, is pretty sensible.

A Glimpse into Beijing’s Fu Wai Hospital – Cardiovascular Program

Debra Alpha represents Trident Health Resources, Inc. and it is was with much appreciation and interest that Deb provided me a report of her observations in Fu Wai Hospital’s Cardiovascular Program when she was in Beijing recently. I asked her if I could post her notes at Trident’s blog as I think it would be information quite fascinating to Perfusionists. She agreed and the report is posted herein.

Please feel free to use the comment button for any questions or comments for Debra. Also, you may contact me directly via email.

Many thanks.

Ralph E. Jordan
CEO & President

Fu Wai Hospital in Beijing

I recently had the opportunity to visit a Cardiovascular program in Beijing. What a well maintained machine.

The hospital is 5 floors, 2 of which are CV OR's.

The day begins with the planned schedule reviewed by the perfusion director along with all participating surgeons and residence for the day.

All adult cases are on one floor and the pediatrics on another

The adult floor consists of 8 OR's and 3 separate rooms for the perfusion equipment and disposibles.

Each adults room will see a minimal of 4 cases/day and the 3 pedi rooms will see 4-5/day. These pedi cases are not ASD, VSD or PDA's (these are all done in the cath lab).

This is a teaching hospital as well.

Surgical techinques are not much diff than our US surg. These surg do not all have individual headlights the lighting is minimal at best.

Perfusion equipment:

Jostra and Cobe (Stockert and S3)

Oxygenators (Quadrox foe adults and Terumo RX for the pedis)

No CDI 500 $$$ just as we see in the states

Oxygen analyzer in every circuit

Cell Savers (autolog and the CAT)

Perfusion Disp:

They use what we have access to as well

This facility is as old as any dynasty in Chinese history

All toilets are IN THE FLOOR and toilet paper forget about it TAKE YOUR OWN or use the hands held sprayer.

All OR employees MUST shower before leaving the hospital

There is a room and locker for your shoes you will be wearing their croc type shoes for the rest of the day no socks needed or required. Anytime you pass from a sterile to a non sterile area you change shoes, yes these are shoes that have been wore by others doing the same thing, pick any pair that fits.

Patient rooms, small and most are 2 beds/room no such thing as a smoke free room

yes smoking is allowed in the hallways and lobby

My host Dr. Cun Long was most gracious. I shadowed 3 perf of 3 days.

All Chinese perf MUST be MD's before they train for perfusion and ALL (surg and perf) are equals in every way, they actually discuss the plan of care, WHAT....!!!

NONE OF US...NONE OF US would ever complain about our $$ or working conditions that we are so fortunate to have if this was our life.

Cars and houses are a luxury afforded to only about 10% of the population. Healthcare the same. The other 90% of the population will/may have to see their home to get surgery. This is their reality.

Transportation. bus or subway

Air quality... > 450 daily, mind you in the states anything over 100 we are warned to stay in our homes for health purposes.

Communication:

All surg and most doctors speak english, outside that forget it.

Will the Olympics be a success? Two weeks will tell. Cyclists and outdoor competitions will be a challenge. The sights in Beijing are truely amazing. Your health will be sacrificed during your visit. So a massage is a necessity to balance the day, $12/hour.

Onto Bangkok where I will be shadowing a CV surg as well.

More later

Deb

Important Recertification Information for Perfusionists

Visit Perfusion Community for details about perfusionist recertification (posted today in the Forum Section, which you can link to from the home page). There is an August 1st deadline which affects all certified perfusionists.

Regards,

Ralph E. Jordan
President & CEO

Sorry for the Confusion Today at Perfusion Community

My sincerest apology for the multiple emails which were sent to Perfusion Community members when we tested a new function of our emailing spooling on Tuesday, July 15, 2008. The problem has been corrected. Please be advised that those of you who received the emails, this was NOT a virus or spam sent to your email account and we’d like to allay any fears of that sort. However, we do recognize the inconvenience caused. Thank you for your understanding and your ongoing membership at Perfusioncommunity.com, where we are striving to bring you all the perfusion industry news and information. Although we did post the upcoming NFL Football Schedule, we received enough feedback from members that that is not information you’d like to see posted, and we will heed your wishes in the future. Again thank you for your indulgence in this matter and for your continued comments regarding this innovative website.

Ralph E. Jordan for Perfusioncommunity.com

On Hospitals and Hurricane Preparedness

Tampa Bay has been home for over 32 years now and although I live in the beautiful State of Florida, that doesn’t make me a weather expert. I can certainly attest to the beautiful sunsets and gulf breezes that make it a fine place to live. Known as “the Sunshine State,” the Tampa Bay area is also the lightning capital of the world, and clearly, a favored destination of Hurricanes. Because I’m a Floridian and also in the healthcare profession, I know that there are, indeed, some important implications for staff and patients in facilities in Florida, but also in the many other coastal states where hurricanes are likely to approach.

We’re early in the 2008 hurricane season, coming out of our first month, which began June first and runs until November. Because our waters aren’t quite warm enough yet (the catalyst for hurricane formation), we haven’t had great tropical activity. YET. But make no mistake—some experts are predicting a rather interesting and active season.

The Joint Commission on Healthcare makes patient safety an imperative in all accredited institutions. Hospitals are required to prepare for disasters involving everything from responding to acts of terror, plane crashes, and yes, hurricane catastrophes. As the epicenter of all things in emergencies, it’s crucial that medical facilities plan tightly and consider worst-case scenarios, keeping patient care the foremost in their plans. It doesn’t take going back very far in memory to bring to mind the news stories of hospitals overwhelmed by the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and several earlier storms (including some no-name storms) which shook up emergency rooms and drained staff resources.

Have you been through a disaster at your facility? Please feel free to comment.

I wanted to post a few website references for further information to those interested: The Joint Commission: http://www.jointcommission.org/ and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA): http://www.fema.gov/ offer excellent resources for hospitals, as well as information for patients and consumers.

And finally, as another matter of interest, following are a list of this year’s Hurricane names. I see I’m not on the list...again...are you?

Arthur
Bertha
Cristobal
Dolly
Edouard
Fay
Gustav
Hanna
Ike
Josephine
Kyle
Laura
Marco
Nana
Omar
Paloma
Rene
Sally
Teddy
Vicky

Wilfred

Be safe and have a great summer. And if you need some last minute coverage don't forget to give us a call..We would be glad to help you. Thanks.

Ralph E. Jordan
President and CEO

Correspondence from an HCSG Employee

Apparently, things are greatly improved at HCSG, the company formerly known as Fresenius. I received an email last week from an HCSG employee who requested that I use this forum to to provide an update to my earlier blog post from last Fall (for reference click here).

The writer advised that HCSG never implemented a new payroll structure, one which was targeted to begin in March and was previously the subject of tension and concern among HCSG employees when it was announced. Although the writer did not like my terminology of “holding a week’s salary in arrears” to describe the payroll changes, there was no intent to mislead, as suggested. To the contrary, that blog post dated September 10^th speculated on the many reasons why a new payroll system might be initiated.

Here’s how the writer explained the reasoning behind HCSG’s proposed payroll changes:

“…they were not holding a week of employees salaries back due to financial problems, but rather they were trying to get all employees, exempt and non exempt, on the same payroll schedule…Basically, they ultimately decided to leave the payroll AS IS for the Exempt employees, and did not change the way in which Exempt employees are paid. However, I find it ironic that you never reported on this since you seem to have "insider" information….(and) as a CEO…it should be your responsibility to correct misinformation or (provide) any updated information since you were the one to put that information out there for all to see in the first place.”

We do our best to bring all matters of interest to our readers and industry news to the forefront as they become known to us. In our business, checking up on other companies internal affairs just isn’t a priority. Further, we’ve allowed this platform to be open to all contributors to add their commentary. At any time, it is welcomed for all to write in, even posts which are anonymously made are appreciated. We report news as it is shared and upon request, as well.

The writer also wanted it communicated here as to how HCSG employees are paid. Another excerpt from the email:

“You also alluded many times to the fact that HCSG/Formerly Fresenius does not pay its employees what they are worth. I will be the first to say that this was true and Fresenius was the worst when it came to merit increases. However…HCSG is trying hard to make things right and has restructured its compensation packages. HCSG restructured their salaries based on merit increases and…by creating three pay regions around the country…(reflective of) cost-of-living.

I am sure your confidential source of information MUST have told you about this, no?? Yet you fail to report on it, why? I think HCSG deserves some credit don't you? At least they are the first company to take employees concerns and complaints to heart and actually DO something about it unlike its predecessor(s). Yet you don't report on that....I am almost forced to wonder if unless the information is negative or juicy gossip which only serves to make Trident "look better" in the big picture, then would show up on your blog? Just my two cents for what it's worth.”

In this regard, please note that I mentioned in one of my earlier blog posts that I would wait a year to see what happens and gladly point out any positive news that had occurred. The fact that the writer felt that unless the information is negative or juicy that we would not comment on it, is a perception that is, quite simply, not in line with the Trident philosophy.

However, the point is, the writer’s two cents worth is worth a pound of gold. I appreciate the opportunity to respond and to assure readers that I was more concerned for the disappointment and outrage of some of our longtime friends and associates who came to us and asked for guidance and help. We didn’t report the facts because they were negative, but because what was going on at the time we received the information seemed to be unfair, unfeeling and was similar to the same shabby treatment that many of our friends had endured over the past several acquisitions.

I’m very happy to say that it seems that our friends and associates at HCSG have, apparently, a more enlightened and compassionate management. Did Trident’s initial expose’ have anything to do with this particular incident regarding the proposed payroll adjustment? I don’t know; I would rather doubt it, however.

But I do know this: it’s apparent that the NEW owners seem to be in tune with what is going on and are trying to be responsive to the needs of the employees. For that I congratulate all of you associated with HCSG and on your newfound good fortune.

It’s about time. And that’s my two cents worth.

I always appreciate comments posted herein or emailed to me privately. Keep ‘em coming.

Ralph E. Jordan
President and CEO