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"The St. Francis Hospital Open Heart Surgery Program has arrived at Good Samaritan Hospital. This is far more than changing the sign on the door — this is the St. Francis Open Heart Surgery Program at Good Samaritan. Patients can feel comfortable coming here to receive the highest standards of care without traveling across Long Island, and their primary care physicians can feel comfortable knowing their patients will receive the same high-quality treatment they would at St. Francis Hospital." — Christopher La Mendola, MD, FACS, FACC, Chair of the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery and Director of the St. Francis Open Heart Surgery Program at Good Samaritan Hospital same time, as the population ages, there are plenty of patients in their 80s who are functional, but they have aortic stenosis — and the natural process of the disease will destroy the valve over time. Aortic stenosis can limit their lifestyle and reduce their lifespan. If we can fix the problem, we can extend their life expectancy and help them maintain their functionality." Transcatheter aortic valve replace- ment (TAVR) is a minimally invasive method for replacing stenotic aortic valves without removing them. Through a small incision in the groin, surgeons thread a catheter to the hardened valve. Once inside the valve, they inflate a balloon to open it and then place the new valve. Drs. La Mendola and Rovensky were early adopters of minimally invasive valve procedures, and after establish- ing the program's presence, they plan to expand the St. Fra ncis Hospita l Open Heart Surgery Program at Good Samaritan Hospital's surgical repertoire to include such quality-of-life-enhancing operations — but that doesn't mean patients who could benefit from the procedure shouldn't be referred for evaluation or treatment. "A s ma ny a s 70 percent of patients w h o s h o u l d b e t reated for aor t ic valve problems never see cardiologists or su rge on s b e c au se their primar y care provider has deemed them too sick for sur- gery," Dr. Rovensky s a y s . " N o w, w e can improve these p a t i e n t s ' l i v e s w i t h d i f f e r e n t treatment options." Minimally Invasive Heart Surgery While TAVR procedures are a coming attraction, other minimally invasive valve replacement and repair tech- niques currently headline the marquee at the St. Francis Hospital Open Heart Surgery Program at Good Samaritan Hospital. In addition to producing better cosmetic results, such modalities minimize the chance of complications associated Dr. Rovensky and nursing technician Christine Borzumato monitor a patient's vital signs on Good Samaritan's cardiothoracic intensive care unit. Borzumato is one of nearly 100 St. Francis staff members who have come to Good Samaritan to operate the open-heart surgery program. Dr. La Mendola visits a postoperative patient while nursing technician Christine Borzumato enters information into the hospital's electronic medical record. M D N E W S . CO M ■ MD NEWS Long Island | 9