Thursday, January 27, 2022

2pm • Virtual Blessing and Dedication

WATCH LIVE ON FACEBOOK

Private Tours of the Cardiovascular Center

Available on Jan 27 from 6:30 am – 6:30 pm

Call to reserve: 318.681.5973

Open Your Heart to the Future

The future of Heart Care is here! CHRISTUS Cardiovascular Center of Excellence is now open, bringing the best in diagnostic, therapeutic and surgical heart care to north Louisiana. No longer is it necessary to travel to larger cities like Dallas, New Orleans or Little Rock. Whether the most common condition or the most complex, our expert physician partners and dedicated CHRISTUS Associates provide unmatched care where our patients’ health, comfort and safety are our top priority.

LEARN ABOUT THE
CARDIOVASCULAR CENTER
HONORING THE LEGACY OF
DOCTOR TOMMY BROWN
EXPLORE THE CENTER'S
COMMISSIONED ART PIECES
Virtual Tour of the EP Cath Lab
First Robotic Heart Surgery

WATCH:

About the Cardiovascular Center of Excellence

HOSTED BY DR. STEEN TRAWICK, CEO / CMO

WATCH:

Honoring the Legacy & Leadership of Dr. Tommy Brown

Colleagues and friends reflect on the visionary
influence of Dr. Brown, founding partner of
Advanced Cardiovascular Specialists

WATCH:

Virtual Tour of
the EP Cath Lab

A look inside the most advanced Cath Lab in the state and region, purposefully designed to incorporate the needs of changing medical technology for an estimated ten years into the future.

Explore the Center's Commissioned Art Pieces

Art by Celia Carr, RN, BSN, MHA

Celia Carr showed artistic ability from an early age and earned scholarships to study art in college, however she chose to pursue a nursing career, and only began painting about 6 years ago when her children gave her an easel and paints as a Mother’s Day gift. In the past couple of years, Celia began to sell her art and collectors from San Francisco, Denver, Savannah, Boston and Costa Rica have purchased her work. Celia is represented by K Gallery in Michigan, the Artisans Gallery in Ruston and was invited and attended the Canton Art Fair in Guangzhou, China in December 2019. Her art is on display at JonaQuest Gallery in London. Locally, you can see her work at the Hilton Convention Center in downtown Shreveport, Shreveport Regional Airport, and in 2Johns Restaurant in Bossier City.

The art installation, commissioned by the hospital, welcomes you to the Cardiovascular Center of Excellence. The paintings contribute to a healing environment and provide a comforting diversion for patients and families, providing inspiration while evoking feelings of peace, joy and serenity. The artist shares, “The bold, dynamic colors depict the energy and enthusiasm our care team has for their daily work and each painting has a subtle representation of an anatomical heart to reflect the specialized care provided.” These paintings signify the merging of excellent technical cardiac care into the artistic and sacred environment of our CHRISTUS mission and core values.

Celia is a lifelong Shreveport resident and is a member of the CHRISTUS Shreveport-Bossier Health System Cardiovascular Nursing Team. She is excited and humbled to have been commissioned to create the artwork for the new CHRISTUS Cardiovascular Center of Excellence, combining her personal and professional passions into these three pieces.

Our Mission: To Extend The Healing Ministry Of Jesus Christ

Give a Tribute Gift Today

Tribute gifts are a great way to “pay it forward,” investing in our community while honoring someone special. Help further the mission at CHRISTUS Shreveport-Bossier Health System as you honor or memorialize a business associate, caregiver, physician, family member or friend. Your tax-deductible donation impacts the CHRISTUS mission of extending the healing ministry of Jesus Christ. Tribute gift recipients are notified that a donation was made in their honor.

CHRISTUS Highland Medical Center Celebrates
First Robotic Heart Bypass Surgery

Shreveport, Louisiana, Dec. 20, 2021– CHRISTUS Highland Medical Center is celebrating a landmark milestone in cardiovascular care with the announcement of the successful completion of the first minimally invasive robotic -assisted heart surgery.

On Thursday, December 16, Timothy Danish, M.D., CHRISTUS Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgeon, and the CHRISTUS surgical heart team specially-trained in robotics used the daVinci XI Surgical System to perform a coronary artery single vessel bypass graft on a 68-year-old male.

“It was a smashing success-the patient is doing well and we’re extremely excited about it,” said Dr. Danish.

Coronary Artery Bypass Graft surgery is a common heart procedure; and now patients in the Ark-La-Tex have a less invasive option available at CHRISTUS Cardiovascular Center of Excellence. The robotics technology changes the field of vision for the surgeon, providing 10 to 15 times magnification-a significant increase over the standard surgical loops, which only provide 3 to 4 times magnification. The robotics increases the safety of the procedure by allowing the surgeon to control the viewfinder and surgical instruments in real time from a workstation instead of standing throughout a long and complex procedure. The computer interface also has the ability to provide more exact needle placement, which is critical to the success of heart surgery. The heart’s blood flow can be re-established to the affected area of the heart without having to open the chest cavity. Instead, the heart is accessed through small incisions made between the ribs.

During the procedure, the surgeon is seated at a workstation a few feet away from the patient, and controls three robotic arms on the operating table, which become his or her eyes and hands for the minimally invasive surgery. While viewing a video monitor to see the surgical site, the surgeon expertly maneuvers instrument handles on the surgical robot to replicate those movements with the instrument tips at the site of surgery. 

“The robotic approach of this procedure minimizes the trauma of the surgery,” said Dr. Danish. There is a huge benefit to not having a full sternotomy, having the chest fully opened during the procedure. We anticipate that it will lead to a quicker recovery, a shorter hospital stay, and less pain for the patient.”

Upon completion of the procedure, Dr. Danish and his team immediately transferred the patient from the operating room to the heart catheterization lab for a post-procedural angiogram to ensure proper blood flow and function of the newly bypassed artery. The morning after surgery, the patient reported minimal pain and was mobile and comfortable. He has since been discharged and is now recovering at home.

 “It was functioning beautifully, we are very pleased,” said Dr. Danish. “Our team is extraordinary. They’re very hard working and dedicated. I am one piece of the puzzle, with the whole team we were able to accomplish something amazing for this patient and for the future of heart surgery in our community.” 

The successful completion of this robotic heart surgery is the latest innovative achievement CHRISTUS Shreveport-Bossier Health System unveiled as its new state-of-the-art Cardiovascular Center of Excellence, a $43 million investment in facilities and technology at CHRISTUS Highland Medical Center, nears completion. Patients now have access to cutting-edge robotic heart therapy without having to travel out of the region. 

“It truly is a remarkable accomplishment, being able to be one of the first to offer patients in north Louisiana a robotic bypass procedure that accelerates the healing process and allows the patient to get on with life with a new artery graft that traditionally required open heart surgery. Having this performed on our campus is historic for cardiac care in this region,” said Steen Trawick, M.D., Chief Executive Officer and Chief Medical Officer, CHRISTUS Shreveport-Bossier Health System.

For more information on cardiovascular services offered at CHRISTUS Highland Medical Center, visit https://www.christushealth.org/trinity/clinic/locations-directions/cardiovascular-thoracic-surgery .