At the Vascular & Diabetic Foot Center at Baylor Scott & White The Heart Hospital – Plano, the focus is both to treat foot and ankle wounds and to prevent those wounds from occurring in the first place. As the only coordinated outpatient and inpatient program in North Texas with comprehensive care for the diabetic and vascular conditions affecting the foot, the Center takes a holistic approach to care.
As part of a national, multi-center, NIH-sponsored study, Baylor Scott & White The Heart Hospital – Plano is comparing the effect of deep, low and moderate hypothermia during aortic arch surgery on post-surgery brain function and functional connectivity. Studies have confirmed the protective effect of induced hypothermia during cardiac surgery, but the new trial will analyze the ideal temperature for hypothermic circulatory arrest in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG) is performed using arteries and saphenous veins from patients to bypass blocked arteries in the heart. Over 400,000 are performed in the US annually. It is shown to be effective to prolong life and decrease angina. One disadvantage of the use of saphenous vein grafts in CABG procedures is the risk of decrease flow in the vein due to neointimal hyperplasia that could lead to graft failure. To address this issue, a new clinical trial is investigating the use of the VEST device – an external metal sleeve used around the vein graft – that could potentially improve the long-term patency of these common grafts.
To reduce the risk of stroke, the WATCHMAN™ left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) device has provided an additional option for some patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation who are not good candidates for long-term anticoagulation therapy. Now, studies are underway to investigate the effectiveness of this device in a wider patient pool.
Each year in the United States, approximately 600,000 people have a pulmonary embolism, with an estimated 50,000 to 200,000 dying from the condition. Because of the high mortality rate associated with massive and sub-massive pulmonary embolism, identification and early intervention are critical. Yet, this common condition remains underdiagnosed and undertreated.
