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The Cleveland Clinic Heart Surgery Program at LakeWest Hospital Achieves Zero Percent Mortality in 2006

Posted on: Friday, 27 April 2007, 15:00 CDT

PAINESVILLE, Ohio, April 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Lake Hospital System today announced that it achieved zero percent mortality for all cardiac and major thoracic cases performed in 2006 through its Cleveland Clinic Heart Surgery Program at LakeWest Hospital. In addition to this unprecedented statistic, the post-operative length of stay was exceptionally low at 4.2 days compared to an average of 6.9 days at other hospitals nationwide.

Lake Hospital System developed its cardiothoracic surgery program in 1997 in affiliation with the Cleveland Clinic. Since then, the team at LakeWest Hospital has performed more than 2,220 cardiac surgeries including primary and redo coronary revascularization, valve repair and replacement, aortic dissections and minimally invasive procedures.

"This partnership with the Cleveland Clinic cardiac surgery program enables us to perform leading edge procedures," said Rami Akhrass, MD, medical director of the Lake Hospital System cardiothoracic surgery program. "For our patients, this means that they can get the highest quality cardiac care available delivered in a comfortable and caring environment that is close to home."

Lake Hospital System has two trained open-heart teams and two operating rooms equipped for the cardiothoracic surgery program. In addition to Dr. Akhrass, the cardiothoracic surgery team includes cardiothoracic surgeon Indirjit Gill, MD, as well as skilled nurses, registered nurse first assistants, cardiac anesthesiologists, and perfusionists -- all of whom are committed to delivering uncompromised personal service.

Delivering this high level of care has earned Lake Hospital System's Cardiac Services Department national recognition. HealthGrades -- the nation's leading health care ratings company -- recently ranked Lake Hospital System among the top five percent of hospitals in the nation for Overall Cardiac Care and among the top ten percent for Cardiac Surgery two years in a row.

"In Northeast Ohio, Lake Hospital System stands out notably in terms of delivering quality care for its patients," said Samantha Collier, MD, HealthGrades vice president of medical affairs. "Patients, families and employers here truly have access to health care that is among the best in the nation."

Beyond its zero percent mortality rate, a major area of success in LakeWest's cardiovascular surgery program is its use of internal thoracic arteries. Over the past three years, the left internal thoracic artery was used in nearly 100 percent of coronary artery bypass patients, which is significantly above the national average.

"We use two internal thoracic arteries as much as possible in all our bypass surgeries," said Dr. Akhrass. "It slightly prolongs the operation and is technically more demanding, but the trade off is tremendous."

Researchers at the Cleveland Clinic have found that the utilization of both thoracic arteries not only improves long-term survival but also freedom from recurrent symptoms and re-intervention. "The percentage of using both the left and right internal thoracic arteries for patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting in 2005 and 2006 was just under 70 percent, many folds above the national average," added Dr. Akhrass.

About Lake Hospital System

For five consecutive years NorthCoast 99 has named Lake Hospital System one of the 99 Best Places to work in Northeast Ohio. In 2006, HealthGrades(R) also named Lake Hospital System among the top five percent of all hospitals in the nation. A leader in community-based health care in Northeast Ohio, Lake Hospital System provides high-quality, accessible health services for all stages of life. Lake Hospital System delivers progressive, compassionate health care through eight state-of-the-art facilities staffed by more than 500 physicians and 2,200 health care professionals.

Contacts: Kristin Wilson, Brokaw Inc. 216.685.4526 kwilson@brokaw.com Julie Strogin, Lake Hospital System 440.354.1940 julie.strogin@lhs.net

Lake Hospital System

CONTACT: Kristin Wilson of Brokaw Inc., +1-216-685-4526,kwilson@brokaw.com, for Lake Hospital System; or Julie Strogin of LakeHospital System, +1-440-354-1940, julie.strogin@lhs.net

Source: PRNewswire

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