What's New

Read more.

Johan and Tariq Sookoo were living in Trinidad in 2007 with their mother, Leslie Lopez, when Johan became quite ill. Determined to avoid the fate of her first child, a daughter who had died of a heart condition, Leslie packed a suitcase, closed her business, and brought the boys to NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital for evaluation. Two weeks into their stay in New York, Johan deteriorated rapidly. In fact, both boys were in heart failure: the only option would be heart transplants before it would be too late. Six years later, the family tells its story in this new video.

In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, we've seen photos and heard the inspiring stories of people helping neighbors to shovel sand out of their ravaged homes, of young people carrying water up flights of stairs for elderly neighbors and relatives, and of strangers offering sidewalk charging stations and a place to rest. But have you heard about the nurse practitioner, who happens to be a professional competitive BBQ griller, who helped to feed 6000 people in New York and New Jersey? Didn't think so!

Read more.

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital is the best hospital in the metropolitan New York area, and ranks seventh in the nation, according to the 23rd annual U.S. News & World Report annual survey, published July 17, 2012. This marks the 13th year that NYPH was included in the report's Honor Roll.

Of the 4793 hospitals included in the survey, 3% rank highly in just one specialty. NYPH earned national ranking in 23 specialties, including nine pediatric and 14 adult specialties. It was also ranked high-performing in two other areas of care. Rankings of the hospitals are based on criteria including survival rates, safety measures, nurse-to-patient ratios, and other factors.

The 2012-2013 report comes one week after NYPH was featured in the debut of NY Med, an eight-part documentary series filmed inside the hospital for one year.

See the overview of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital in the July 17, 2012 US News & World Report here.

Yoshifumi Naka, MD, PhD, has performed the first Total Artificial Heart implant in the New York City area. The SynCardia device replaces both failing heart ventricles and all four heart valves. According to Dr. Naka, implantation of the device will not only improve the patient's chances of surviving until transplant, but will reduce some of the risks of transplant surgery itself.

Read the full story here.

Dr. Spotnitz's laboratory is conducting research under a five year $3.3 million NIH grant entitled, "Biventricular Pacing After Cardiopulmonary Bypass." This grant supports both the BiPACS (Biventricular Pacing After Cardiac Surgery) and the BiBET (Biventricular Pacing BEfore Transplantation) trials. Currently in its fourth year, the BiPACS trial, under an IDE from the FDA and aided by indispensable collaboration from our cardiothoracic surgeons has demonstrated that cardiac output increases 10-15% with biventricular pacing at three time points in the first 24 hours after surgery for acquired heart disease on cardiopulmonary bypass. BiPACS has been expanded to UCLA, seeking an accelerated answer to the primary question of whether cardiac output improves overall in paced patients and what clinical benefits and cost reductions result. Pacing protocols developed under the BiPACS trial are further being tested in patients with right ventricular failure after cardiopulmonary bypass in an effort to expand the benefits of this technology. These studies include adults and children undergoing cardiac transplantation and adults undergoing pulmonary thromboendartereectomy. Multisite pacing studies are also under way in children undergoing surgery for single ventricle physiology.

Dr. Smith said in a statement that transcatheter aortic valve replacement "is the most exciting new treatment for aortic stenosis in the past two to three decades."

Interviews with Craig Smith, MD, about Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement

• In 1983, NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia helped initiate clinical trials of cyclosporine, the immunosuppressive drug that revolutionized the field of transplantation. The drug is still today the most commonly prescribed immunosuppressant used in organ transplantation.
• Surgeons at NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital performed the world's first successful pediatric heart transplant in 1984.
• In the 1980s and 1990s, NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia led research on left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), both of which have dramatically improved the time that children with heart failure can survive until an organ becomes available.
• In 1985, NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia became the only medical center in the state to be designated as a regional heart transplant center by the New York State Health Planning and Review Council.

The Health Corps

The Health Corps helps developing bodies in the same way the Peace Corps helps developing nations. In this ambitious program, created by Columbia heart surgeon Mehmet C. Oz, MD, well-trained volunteers go into the public schools to teach the basics of self-care.

Putting People First

As Administrator of Columbia's Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Diane Amato plays a dual role: She uses her business acumen to keep the office running smoothly, streamlining billing procedures, and managing a staff of 22 health care professionals. In addition, she serves as an outreach coordinator for Craig Smith, MD, Chief of the division, providing medical information, practical support, and a good old-fashioned dose of TLC for all those in his care. "This is a passion, not a job," she says. "People are my number one priority."

The Fauth Center for Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation and the Center for Chest Disease are sponsoring a COPD Awareness Day—Breathless Not Helpless in the Clarke Conference Room on November 16, 2005 from 8:30am–1:00pm for patients and their families.

For more information please contact Patricia Jellen at jellenp@nyp.org or 212.305.1158.

• Dr. Michael Roizen and Dr. Mehmet Oz are the authors of YOU: THE OWNER'S MANUAL. Part fitness motivator, part home medical reference, yet completely unique, YOU: THE OWNER'S MANUAL is a personal do-it-yourself handbook for keeping any body primed to live younger longer.
• In The Grateful Heart, Diary of a Heart Transplant, Candace Moose chronicles her sudden illness and eventual heart transplant, performed by Yoshifumi Naka, MD, after travel vaccinations triggered a typically fatal autoimmune disease.
• Finally, in the Spanish-language book, LLEGAR a 100, Ra?l Guerrero and Dr. Edward Schuster team up to discuss health issues facing Hispanic communities and offer tips for reaching the age of 100 in good health.

Medicare Expands Coverage of Heart Pumps for Destination Therapy

Historic decision gives hope to thousands of end-stage heart failure patients

Drs. Rose and Oz Quoted in New York Times about OP-CAB

Dr. Eric A. Rose and Dr. Mehmet C. Oz were featured in the Science Times section of the New York Times, May 13, 2003, in a front-page article entitled, "Heart Pump and Brain Injury: A Riddle Deepens With Time." The article, by Times science writer Gina Kolata, described the mental problems, including confusion and forgetfulness, that often accompany coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG). The problems were assumed to be associated with the heart-lung pump that allows surgeons to stop the heart during the operation.

Dr. Eric A. Rose provides "Perspective" on Off-Pump Coronary-Artery Bypass Surgery in New England Journal of Medicine

In a "Perspective" article published in the January 30, 2003 issue of New England Journal of Medicine, Eric A. Rose, MD, Chairman, Columbia University Department of Surgery, assesses results of a study about the "OP-CAB" procedure. The article is entitled, "Are There Advantages to Off-Pump Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery?"

Dr. Argenziano Reports Shorter Hospital Stay, Improved Recovery Time with Robotically Assisted Heart Surgery

Preliminary results of study presented at American Heart Association Scientific Sessions, held in Chicago

Michael Argenziano, MD Director, Robotic Cardiac Surgery

Dr. Michael Argenziano presented preliminary findings of a study to investigate the benefits of robotic open-heart surgery for correcting atrial septal defect (ASD). In July 2001, using a surgical robot, Dr. Argenziano led a team at Columbia University Medical Center that performed the first open-heart surgery without opening the chest. Since then, 17 patients have received the procedure. Preliminary results point to improvements in recovery time and quality of life, Dr. Argenziano told scientists in a presentation at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions, held in Chicago in November 2002. "We've seen dramatic improvements in hospital stay and recovery time. Also, patients experienced comparatively improved social functions and less pain postoperatively." The study showed that hospital stays were two to four days shorter than with open-chest heart surgery, and that patients were able to return to work 50 percent faster than those having open-heart surgery.

Individuals with ASD are born with an abnormal opening between the two upper chambers of the heart. Untreated, ASD can result in pulmonary hypertension, congestive heart failure, atrial arrhythmias, and an increased risk of stroke.

© 1999 Intuitive Surgical, Inc.

© 2000 Intuitive Surgical, Inc.

For Elderly Heart Patients, Extra Weight May Be Beneficial

A new study by a group of Columbia researchers led by
Mathew S. Maurer, MD, indicates, surprisingly, that elderly patients (75 and over) who had a BMI (body mass index) of 25 and over had a lower risk of complications and death from cardiovascular surgery than did those with a lower BMI.

CUMC Surgeons Perform Nation's First Robotically-Assisted Coronary Artery Bypass

Dr. Michael Argenziano, Director of Robotic Cardiac Surgery, and Dr. Craig R. Smith, Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Columbia University Medical Center, performed the nation's first robotically-assisted coronary artery bypass operation in January 2002. Coronary artery bypass surgery is one of the most common operations performed in the U.S., and this historic operation follows the successes of other robotically-assisted surgeries at Columbia University Medical Center.

The Future Is Now: Columbia University Medical Center Surgeons Perform Nation's First Robot-Assisted Atrial Septal Defect Heart Surgery

© 1998 Intuitive Surgical, Inc.

On July 24, 2001, cardiac surgeons at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital's Columbia University Medical Center performed the first robotically-assisted atrial septal defect repair, without a chest incision of any kind. Michael Argenziano MD, Director of Robotic Cardiac Surgery, and Mehmet C. Oz MD, Director of the Cardiovascular Institute, performed the surgery on a 33-year-old mother of two young children. The young woman chose to become a pioneer by participating in the FDA-sanctioned clinical trial because it promised a fast recovery time that would allow her to return to her husband and children quickly, and it also left minimal scar tissue. It was expected that her hospital stay would be several days less than if she had had open-heart surgery, and that her recovery period would be significantly reduced as well.

News of the surgery was presented at a news conference at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital with the surgeons and the patient and her family. The surgery was featured by ABC-Good Morning America, Bloomberg Radio and Bloomberg News, Crain's Health Pulse, all of New York's major television news programs including the Daily News, New York Newsday, Hurriyet (Turkish news), Ch. 41 (Univision), the Fox News Channel (national), and the Charlie Rose Show.