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In 2006, Dr. Khatri joined the medical staff of Southwest General Health Center. At that time, Southwest General was developing plans for a heart and vascular institute. "That's one of the reasons I chose to come here. The hospital was planning this institute, and they were open to new ideas," he says. As a fellow at Emory, which is one of the largest referral centers in the southeast, Dr. Khatri was involved in what he describes as "many high- end, tertiary-level procedures." He wanted to be able to offer these same procedures in a community setting. And, he wanted to move back to Ohio so his children (he has four) could enjoy growing up where he did and be near family. "Southwest General was what I was looking for," he says. "And it's been a God-send being here." The Heart & Vascular Institute at Southwest General features an integrated care model that of fers comprehensive diagnostic, therapeutic and rehabilitative services from a mul- tidisciplinary team. That team includes cardiologists, cardiac surgeons, vascu- lar surgeons and neurologists. "We have such a good collaborative working relationship among our physi- cians and surgeons, and the hospital has been open to letting me introduce some new procedures, which is very encouraging," says Dr. Khatri, who is board-certified in internal medicine, cardiology, interventional cardiology and nuclear cardiology. "We're doing some really fantastic work here." A prime example is the transradial program. Most coronary interventions performed at Southwest General by Dr. Khatri are through the radial artery, rather than through the femoral artery. Although common outside the U.S., radial access is used in less than five percent of PCIs performed in the U.S., according to SCAI. Recent research has shown radial access is a safe and effective technique and can reduce mortality for heart attack patients. Additionally, it is of ten preferred by patients because recovery is much more rapid. Dr. Khatri has also adapted the trans radial technique for carotid stenting, a program he introduced to Southwest General. His current research projects are primarily related to this area of endovascular therapy. "Carotid stenting was one of the first projects we — the vascular surgeons, neurologists, and myself — tackled, in terms of determining which patients would be appropriate for carotid stenting versus surgery. And, we've had extensive collaborative success with patients referred to me and vice versa. I feel very fortunate that we have such an open, integrated care environment." In addition to transradial carotid stenting, a procedure Dr. Khatri says is done routinely in only two or three other hospitals in the country, he also uses the transradial technique to stent non-cardiac and non-carotid vessels, such as those in the kidneys, intestines and legs. "Of ten, pat ients with diabet ic foot ulcers are referred from local Trilok Sharma, MD, is vice president of Southwest General's Heart & Vascular Institute, where an integrated care model fosters collaborative working relationships among physicians and surgeons. podiatrists who want us to revascular- ize patients' legs to facilitate wound healing," says Dr. Khatri. "We do a fair amount of work in this area." Perhaps the most unique, however, is his radial approach to coronary MARCH-APRIL 2012 n MDNEWS.COM n MD NEWS Cleveland-Akron-Canton | 7 PHOTOS © JOE SMITHBERGER, SMITHBERGER PHOTOGRAPHY, NORTH CANTON