Page 13 - Mecklenburg_Medicine_March-2020

At the Hospitals
n Hepatitis C No Longer an Obstacle for
Transplant Recipients
Transplant surgeons at Atrium Health,
including Vincent Casingal, MD, are taking
advantage of advances in treating hepatitis C
to offer patients not affected by the virus the
opportunity to receive organs with the virus.
Organ donors with the infection greatly
outnumber patients who need transplants
but who don’t have the infection. As a
result, scores of organs have gone unused as
transplant patients linger on wait lists. Doctors
are discovering that it is safe to use donated
organs from affected individuals because of
new treatments.
Two of Atrium Health’s experts in
hepatology, Mark Russo, MD, and Philippe
Zamor, MD, have been at the forefront of trials
for hepatitis C medications released in the last
several years. The new medications have a
95-98 percent cure rate, giving the transplant
teams at Atrium Health the confidence to move
forward with these innovative transplants.
“Other places are doing these transplants
under research protocol, but this is non-
experimental for us,” says Dr. Casingal.
“This is entering our standard of care and
we’re starting to offer it to more people.”
Seven Atrium Health patients have received
hepatitis C organs, including four kidneys
and three livers. Increasing the number of
similar transplants will help address the organ
shortage, which is a national crisis.
n A Steel Bar Can Reshape a
Child’s Future
A condition called pectus excavatum, in
which the chest of a child appears scooped out,
usually isn’t a risk to health but it can impact
self-esteem, especially as the child enters the
teen years. To correct this condition, the Chest
Wall Reconstruction Clinic at Atrium Health’s
Levine Children’s Hospital and Sanger Heart &
Vascular Institute uses an innovative minimally
invasive technique.
Called the Nuss bar procedure, a steel bar
is inserted through two small holes on either
side of the chest. The bar is then flipped, and
the breastbone pops back out. The procedure is
usually performed during the teen years when
the pectus becomes more pronounced and
before the chest wall becomes less flexible.
The surgery takes only about 45 minutes
and the bar remains in place for about three
years to ensure the result is permanent. Patients
may remain in the hospital for a few days to
help with recovery and pain management.
Following release from the hospital, patients
will avoid lifting for a while and are advised to
avoid sports for about three months.
While some cases of pectus can somewhat
limit lung function, the biggest benefit to
correcting the condition is psychological. Not
looking different than their peers can relieve a
significant amount of stress in teenagers trying
their best to fit in.
The AltaValve,an investigational device,is housed in a springy metal Acute Care Surgery at Atrium Health, recently
ball and delivered to the patient’s heart via catheter.
n 3D Printing Technology Fixes a
“Leaky” Heart Valve
Atrium Health’s Sanger Heart & Vascular
Institute is pioneering the use of new minimally
invasive technologies to treat a variety of serious
heart conditions. In December, Sanger’s clinical
care team became one of the first teams in the
United States and the world to implant a new
device to treat a patient with heart valve issues.
The team, including Michael Rinaldi, MD,
Markus Scherer, MD, Jonathan Schwartz, MD,
and Eric Skipper, MD, implanted the AltaValve
trans-catheter mitral valve replacement
(TMVR) system in a patient with severe mitral
valve insufficiency. The new technology, which
currently is being used in clinical trials, offers
a minimally invasive approach to treat patients
with mitral valve insufficiency who are not
candidates for other procedures.
The AltaValve, an investigational device,
Mecklenburg Medicine • March 2020 | 13
is created by the device manufacturer using a
3D printer and the patient’s cardiac CT scan,
resulting in a valve that’s specific to each patient’s
unique measurements. The valve, which is
housed in a springy metal ball, is delivered to the
patient’s heart via catheter.
“These technologies are only used at very
advanced centers,” says Dr. Rinaldi. “Our team
includes a surgeon, interventional cardiologist,
heart failure cardiologist and advanced imaging
cardiologist working together. There’s an exquisite
amount of coordination, and we really tailor the
right therapy to meet each person’s needs.”
n Christmas Inducted as President of
Trauma Association
A. Britton Christmas, MD, FACS, Division of
was inducted as the 34th President
of the Eastern Association for the
Surgery of Trauma.
At Atrium Health, Dr.
Christmas serves as professor
of surgery; associate director of
A.Britton Christmas, trauma for The F.H. “Sammy”
MD, FACS Ross, Jr. Trauma Center; and
co-director of pediatric trauma for the Hemby
Pediatric Trauma Institute.
The Eastern Association for the Surgery
of Trauma (EAST) provides a forum for the
exchange of knowledge to advance the care
and rehabilitation of injured patients. EAST
places particular emphasis on interdisciplinary
collaboration, scholarship, fellowship and
developing leadership among young surgeons.
Daylight
Saving
Time
Don’t forget
to set your
clocks ahead
one hour.
Sunday, March 8