MITRAL RUMBLES

Category: Shout Outs

By Dr. Ross Feldman,
Medical Lead,
Cardiac Sciences Manitoba

May 02, 2021

Shout Outs!

To my co-editor, Janessa, who gave birth to a healthy baby girl yesterday! Both mom and baby are doing well.  Details and pics in next week’s Rumbles.

To our community of Cardiac Sciences physicians. Saturday May 1st, National Physicians Day was celebrated!  I, as I am sure many of the other physicians in the Cardiac Sciences community, were grateful for the notes of appreciation sent to us individually and collectively by both individuals and organizations. 

To our Perfusionists. Perfusion Week 2021 is May 2-8, and is a time dedicated to honor the tireless work of our perfusionists. Especially in the COVID era your commitment and your expertise in the support of perioperative blood management, ventricular assistance, and advanced uses of extracorporeal circulation is so much appreciated.

shout outs

Sals Stars of the Week: Kyla Siatecki! Introduced by Rosanne Labossiere-Gee.

Kyla Siatecki

 

This week, I’d like to highlight one of our Heart Failure (HF) Clinic NP’s – Kyla Siatecki for the Sal’s Star of the week!  Kyla works in the clinic and has displayed many layers of flexibility in the last few months.  She was partially reassigned to CR4 to help the unit during the second phase of the pandemic, while still seeing patients part time in the clinic and working long hours to maintain patient care.  Kyla has returned full time to the clinics now, is involved with the HF Network, planning a conference for CCCN MB on June 7, and has recently participated as an “Ask the Expert on HF” for March with CCCN National.  She has agreed to take on not one but two NP students this summer in order to facilitate their learning with cardiac patients, and has started to plan their schedules already.  Kyla is also busy with presentations for the Heart and Stroke Foundation, and for the Heart Life Foundation, amongst other presentations she has already completed.  Kyla is passionate about improving care for Cardiac patients, and exemplifies engagement and collaboration in care.

Heart Failure Awareness Week in Canada is May 3rd – 9th 2021.  This year the Hon Heather Stefanson, Minister of Health and Seniors Care,  has declared May 3rd – 9th as  Heart Failure Awareness Week in Manitoba.  There will be a series of online webinars which are listed on the Canadian Heart Failure website https://heartfailure.ca/education/national-heart-failure-awareness-week. Everyone is welcome to attend. 

April 25, 2021

Shout Outs!

Administrative Professionals Day is this week! Wednesday April 28st is the day we recognize all of our hardworking Administrative personnel’s within our Program for the work you do to keep Cardiac Sciences going 365 days of the year.

The elective Echo waitlist has been an unremitting challenge for several years for the entire Echo team and when the two private clinics opened in November to accomodate these volumes, Christine took on this new opportunity with a calm and professional manner. The private clinics got off to an extremely fast pace, having been delayed for months due to infrastructure issues at both off site clinics. This meant that Christine had to, and continues to, work at a feverish pace to keep their slates filled and get the reports out in a timely manner. She not only works extremely hard at this task but she also took on the additional assignment of training two new clerks simultaneously, never losing her infectious sense of humor while taking on these responsibilities. The new clerks have commented that they are in awe of her abilities.

Christine Macapagal

Diagnostic teams are often the unsung heroes of our program, providing expertise in their fields, easing the anxiety and fears of patients undergoing tests that often lead to serious diagnoses and further complicated care. The Non-Invasive Cardiac Testing team is one that I am proud to be a part of – from Cardiology Technologists to Cardiac Sonographers, Receptionists and Clerks. Every day, they make a patient’s journey that much easier. I am proud today, to announce Christine Macapagal as the Salisbury Star of the Week.

April 18, 2021

Star, Shout Outs & Publications

Sals Stars of the Week: Zubair Luqman! Presented by Rakesh Arora.

Dr. Zubair Luqman

Dr. Zubair Luqman (a.k.a. “Lucky” or “The Luqman”) completed his Cardiac Surgery Fellowship in complex cardiac surgery at Dalhousie University and did another fellowship in complex and minimally invasive cardiac surgery at University of Ottawa. During his fellowship in Ottawa, he obtained FRCSC in cardiac surgery. Prior to moving to Winnipeg, he was working as staff cardiac surgeon in St. John, New Brunswick. He joined Cardiac Surgery Section in Jan 2018 and has since, in addition to minimally invasive cardiac surgery, taken a special interest in infective endocarditis surgery. Zubair has willingly taken on incredibly challenging and complex native and prosthetic endocarditis “Commando” surgical cases for which very few surgeons would take on let alone achieve the high rate of success his patients have received. We would like to acknowledge Dr. Luqman surgical talent and skill set, as well the many of the team members involved in managing the complex perioperative issues of these patient as part of the endocarditis team. Congratulation Zubair on this well-deserved recognition and Ramadan Kareem!

Shout Outs!

Congratulations to the NICT EKG/Stress/Holter team as the winners of both the Organizing Committee Choice and Audience Favorite Awards for the ACS Provincial Heart Attack Day that took place on April 9, 2021!

They presented a video for exemplifying Cardiac Sciences’s commitment to providing a quality EKG service to meet the ACS internationally recommended benchmarks. The video will be available for everyone to view in the near future.

This Week’s Faculty Publications

Varghese SS, Eekhoudt CR, Jassal DS. Mechanisms of anthracycline-mediated cardiotoxicity and preventative strategies in women with breast cancer.  Mol Cell Biochem. 2021 Apr 9. doi: 10.1007/s11010-021-04152-y. Online ahead of print.

Bagchi AK, Malik A, Akolkar G, Zimmer A, Belló-Klein A, De Angelis K, Jassal DS, Fini MA, Stenmark KR, Singal PK. Biochim Study of ER Stress and Apoptotic Proteins in the Heart and Tumor Exposed to Doxorubicin. Biophys Acta Mol Cell Res. 2021 Apr 12:119039. doi: 10.1016/j.bbamcr.2021.119039. Online ahead of print.

I hope you are staying safe and healthy.

April 11, 2021

Stars & Award Winners

Sals Stars of the Week: Presented by Colette Seifer.

This weeks ‘stars’ are from cardiology. They can be found day and night, 24/7 at SBH. You see them on 5ASouth, ACCU, ICCS, PARR, 6ASouth, ED, 6E, CR4, Y2, CR1. CODE STEMI? They are there. CARDIOGENIC SHOCK? They are there. Another heart failure admission in the ED? They are there. Bradycardia and need a temporary TVP? They are there. Need a cardiology consult on 4A stepdown, 7A West, McEwen, 2B? They are there. They join committees, they lead teaching rounds, they are educators, learners and workers. Have a research study? They are there. Page cardiology? Page CCU? They are there.

Who are they? The Cardiology Residents!

The Cardiology Residents!

Over the past year, we have all experienced significant changes to our workplace. There are multiple new protocols to learn and follow, ever changing bed maps for our patients, and many layers of protective gear to navigate. Residency is already a challenging time, trying to acquire as much knowledge as possible to ensure exam success while working a full time job plus on-call responsibilities and then an added unprecedented pandemic!

Our residents in cardiology have graciously risen to the challenge. They are our frontline staff without whom we would not be able to provide the exceptional level of care that our patients receive. They are an outstanding group of professionals who are not only the Sals Stars of the Week but are our stars of the past year and are most deserving of this recognition.

Congratulations to our annual Teaching Award  Winners!

Congratulations to our Scholarship Day Award Winners!

For those of you who missed, it our virtual edition of this year’s Scholarship Day was widely viewed as a major success, despite challenging conditions.  The range of presentations spanned the gamut from basic research to population health to innovations in health education to knowledge translation, with contributors across all of the major disciplines within Cardiac Sciences.

Special thank you to Janessa Kaus for putting it all together and doing such a great job delivering a great program!

April 11, 2021

Shout Outs & Publications

Shout Outs!

Big shoutouts to Anita Soni and Basem Elbarouni. We just got news that they have both been promoted from Assistant Professor to Associate Professor, in the Department of Internal Medicine. Congratulations!!

This Week’s Faculty Publications

Parr CJ, Sharma R, Arora RC, Singal R, Hiebert B, Minhas K. Outcomes of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support in the cardiac catheterization laboratory. Catheter Cardiovasc Interv. 2020 Sep 1;96(3):547-555. doi: 10.1002/ccd.28492. Epub 2019 Sep 5.

Arcinas LA, Chew DS, Seifer CM, Baranchuk A, Supel I, Exner DV, Boles U, McIntyre WF. Predictors of appropriate shock after generator replacement in patients with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator.  Pacing Clin Electrophysiol. 2021 Apr 7. doi: 10.1111/pace.14236. Online ahead of print.

McDonald M, Virani S, Chan M, Ducharme A, Ezekowitz JA, Giannetti N, Heckman GA, Howlett JG, Koshman SL, Lepage S, Mielniczuk L, Moe GW, O’Meara E, Swiggum E, Toma M, Zieroth S, Anderson K, Bray SA, Clarke B, Cohen-Solal A, D’Astous M, Davis M, De S, Grant ADM, Grzeslo A, Heshka J, Keen S, Kouz S, Lee D, Masoudi FA, McKelvie R, Parent MC, Poon S, Rajda M, Sharma A, Siatecki K, Storm K, Sussex B, Van Spall H, Yip AMC. CCS/CHFS Heart Failure Guidelines Update: Defining a New Pharmacologic Standard of Care for Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction. Can J Cardiol. 2021 Apr;37(4):531-546. doi: 10.1016/j.cjca.2021.01.017.

I hope you are staying safe and healthy.

April 04, 2021

Upcoming Events

Upcoming Cardiac Sciences Events.

Tune In!!  Cardiac Sciences MB Scholarship Day 2021 will be held virtually THIS Wednesday April 7 via Microsoft Teams starting at 10:10 AM. The final program will be circulated Tuesday.

Heart Attack Day 2021 will be held virtually Friday April 9. The Province of Manitoba has proclaimed April 9, 2021 as ‘Heart Attack Awareness Day to coincide with thisevent. The key note address will be given by Dr. Robert Welsh, University of Alberta,  “The Past, Present, and Future of Regional STEMI Care: Insights from the Vital Heart Response Registry”.

 Members of Cardiac Sciences Manitoba will receive a ZOOM link for that talk, scheduled at 13:00hr,  separately. To register for the full accredited program and view the schedule for the day see link .

Shout Outs!

Big shoutout to Shelley Zieroth. We just got the news that she has been promoted from Associate Professor to Professor, in the Department of Internal Medicine, effective March 30, 2021. Congratulations!!

 This Week’s Faculty Publications

Laura J Albak , Ashish H Shah, James W Tam. Cardiac failure and pulmonary hypertension secondary to renal arteriovenous malformation: a case report. J Med Case Rep. 2021 Mar 31;15(1):177. doi: 10.1186/s13256-021-02764-y.

Fadi Hage, Ali Hage, Francois Dagenais, Andreanne Cartier, Maral Ouzounian, Jennifer Chung, Ismail El-Hamamsy, Vincent Chauvette, Mark D Peterson, Kevin Lachapelle, Khalid Ridwan, Munir Boodhwani, Ming Guo, John Bozinovski, Michael C Moon, Abigail White, Michael Yamashita, Carly Lodewyks, Rony Atoui, Darrin Payne, Does adding an aortic root replacement or sinus repair during arch repair increase postoperative mortality? Evidence from the Canadian Thoracic Aortic Collaborative.   Eur J Cardiothorac Surg. 2021 Mar 26;ezab125. doi: 10.1093/ejcts/ezab125.

Hessam H Kashani, Hilary P Grocott. Optimal Interpretation of Trial Sequential Analysis in Understanding the Effect of Dexmedetomidine on Acute Kidney Injury After Cardiac Surgery. J Cardiothorac Vasc Anesth. 2020 Sep;34(9):2548. doi: 10.1053/j.jvca.2020.04.016. Epub 2020 Apr 28.

I hope you are staying safe and healthy.

March 28, 2021

Mitral Rumble

Sals Star of the Week: Cathy Willey! Presented by Dawn Affleck.

I would like to recognize Cathy Willey, our dedicated Charge Nurse in the Operating Room as this week’s Sals Star of the week! Cathy recently celebrated 35 years of service as a Registered Nurse at St. Boniface Hospital.  Cathy began her career in the Operating Room in 1988 as a general duty perioperative nurse, joined the cardiac team in 2003 and became one of two cardiac Clinical Resource Nurses in 2010.  The cardiac program and the role of the Cardiac CRN was a beloved role of Cathy’s and one that she continues to cherish and reminisce about.  In fact, you will still see Cathy in the theatres on cardiac call on evenings and weekends.

As our charge nurse, Cathy provides leadership and communicates the daily cardiac and non-cardiac surgery operations of up to 13, sometimes 14 OR theatres in a typical day. She routinely serves as the liaison between cardiac programs and anesthesia, nursing and support staff. Over the past four years, she has “charged ahead” during floods, clinical consolidations, unprecedented nursing and support staff vacancies, pandemics and huddles, huddles, and more huddles. 

The best way to describe Cathy in her role would be to imagine an Air Traffic Controller at a very busy airport, who thinks of everyone coming into and out of the OR. From our perioperative patients, to nurses, to support staff, to surgeons, to anesthesia, and other clinical programs and units, Cathy is leaned upon by many.

Cathy routinely responds to both critical and non-critical situations with the agility and creativity of a fantastic leader!  Cathy has what is referred to as “cognitive flexibility” as she is able to think outside the box, seeing things from differing perspectives, and modifying her actions and behaviors to the ever-changing healthcare environment.   Cathy is also very good at taking obstacles and turning them into opportunities to learn and grow.  

In 2019, after many years in perioperative nursing, Cathy attained her certification in perioperative nursing (CPN (C), through the Canadian Nurses Association. This is yet another demonstration of her ongoing dedication to patient care, continuous learning, and model ling the way for her colleagues. I am pleased to recognize Cathy as a true star in healthcare and know that her entire team shares in this recognition.  Thank you for all you do Cathy!!!

This Week’s Faculty Publications

Spooner AJ, Berens PM, Reardon MJ, Wyler von Ballmoos MC. A Large Mediastinal Mass in a Young Woman: A Case of Giant Coronary Artery Aneurysm. Ann Thorac Surg. 2021 Mar 16:S0003-4975(21)00515-4. doi: 10.1016/j.athoracsur.2021.02.085. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33741325.

Kehler DS, Arora RC. Commentary: Does a “less is more” approach reduce delirium in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting?  J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2021 Apr;161(4):1285-1286. doi: 10.1016/j.jtcvs.2019.10.131. Epub 2019 Nov 13.

Muller Moran HR, Yamashita MH, Arora RC. Commentary: Vita ex machina-life from the machine. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2021 Apr;161(4):1333-1334. doi: 10.1016/j.jtcvs.2020.11.066. Epub 2020 Nov 24.

I hope you are staying safe and healthy.

March 21, 2021

Shout Outs!

Sals Star of the Week: Jack Kress!
Introduced by Scott MacKenzie.

Jack Kress

Jack Kress graduated from nursing in 1980. He worked for the next 7 years in both critical care and trauma units. Jack then moved into the operating room environment as an OR nurse for 4 years before joining the Department of Anesthesia as a nurse clinical specialist.  He has been a part of the Anesthesia team at SBH for 29 years. Jack possesses a unique set of skills that have become instrumental in assisting the cardiac anesthesia team in providing the highest level of care to our cardiac patients. Jack is intimately familiar with all our monitors, supplies and ultrasound equipment. He is able to troubleshoot almost any equipment problem that arises. Jack is technically superb in starting arterial lines, gaining peripheral and central venous access, and endotracheal intubation. His ultrasound skills in obtaining venous access are second to none. His experience and skill set provide incredible support to all of our cardiac anesthetists when starting a challenging case. Congratulations Jack on a well-deserved recognition!

This Week’s Faculty Publications

Maguire D, Yamashita MH, Grocott HP. Retained Intracardiac Bullet Fragment: Is It a Missile Embolism or Simply a Gunshot Wound to the Heart? A A Pract. 2021 Feb 23;15(2):e01381. doi: 10.1213/XAA.0000000000001381.

McAndrew EN, Jassal DS, Goldenberg BA, Kim CA. Capecitabine-mediated heart failure in colorectal cancer: a case series. Eur Heart J Case Rep. 2021 Mar 2;5(3):ytab079. doi: 10.1093/ehjcr/ytab079. eCollection 2021 Mar.

March 14, 2021

Shout Outs!

Sadja Jannah

Congratulations to Clinical Assistant Dorsaf Gaied on the birth of her daughter Sadja Jannah born on January 26, 2021 weighing in at 7 lbs and 47 cm!

Jason Poklitar

Sals Star of the Week: Jason Poklitar! Introduced by Megan O’Brien

This past year has seen redeployments, dynamic challenges with responding to COVID and long, stressful hours worked by all staff.  One staff member, in particular, is deserving of this award. Please join me in acknowledging Jason Poklitar. Jason started his career in Cardiac Sciences in 2013 on 5a cardiology. He took the ICU course in 2015 and worked in ICCS for two years before returning to 5A as the CRN. Jason joined Y2 Cardiac Specialty Care first as a staff nurse and then as CRN. He has maintained grace and calm under pressure and is always quick to smile and assist whenever needed. He is approachable and always ready to problem solve to ensure our patients get the best care. The staff in Y2 have benefitted from his mentorship. Thank you, Jason, for all your hard work!

This Week’s Faculty Publications

There were no new Library of Congress-listed publications from Cardiac Sciences this week. !

March 07, 2021

Shout Outs!

post of Award for Innovation

Congratulations to Clarence Khoo on receiving the Award for Innovation from the Manitoba Medical Student Association!

Sals Star of the Week: Derrick Hibbert!
Introduced by Dalibor Gavranovic

Derrick Hibbert

Derrick Hibbert, a Perfusionist in Cardiac Sciences is my Sals Star of the Week!! Derrick began his career at St. Boniface Hospital in 1996 as an ICU nurse, proceeding to expand his career in 2005 where he became a Perfusionist in the CSP. He has been involved with many process improvement projects and has worked with the team to make advancements within Cardiac Sciences.

     He is a mentor and great liaison with academic sites providing guidance on student coordination and assisting with education. He also provides support to our health care team, whether it is about basic equipment or pathophysiology. Derrick is a VAD coordinator working with care team in the inpatient and outpatient worlds.

    Most recently he has been tasked and selflessly accepted the role of providing his knowledge and expertise to ensure we have a safe process for interfacility transport of our VAD patient population, an important component of providing provincial cardiac care. 

   Thanks to Derrick for his dedication to his profession and to our patients.

This Week’s Faculty Publications

Sin PS, Jassal DS, Luqman Z, Kirkpatrick IDC, Ravandi A, Kass M. “Tear in My Heart”: A Multimodality Perspective. CJC Open. 2020 Oct 8;3(2):225-226. doi: 10.1016/j.cjco.2020.09.025. eCollection 2021 Feb.

Fast I, Villafranca A, Henrichs B, Magid K, Christodoulou C, Jacobsohn E. Disruptive behaviour in the operating room is under-reported: an international survey. Can J Anaesth. 2020 Feb;67(2):177-185. doi: 10.1007/s12630-019-01540-3. Epub 2020 Jan 16.

Sillner AY, McConeghy RO, Madrigal C, Culley DJ, Arora RC, Rudolph JL. The Association of a Frailty Index and Incident Delirium in Older Hospitalized Patients: An Observational Cohort Study. Clin Interv Aging. 2020 Nov 2;15:2053-2061. doi: 10.2147/CIA.S249284. eCollection 2020.