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Open heart surgery done in Beloit
Rockford, Beloit join forces for first operation
By Clint Wolf
News Editor
Beloit Memorial Hospital has entered a new era of health care with the first open heart surgery being performed in Beloit.
Vivian Lawver of Rockton underwent coronary bypass surgery June 28. She needed triple bypass surgery after a heart attack in late May. She also learned that there was 90 percent blockage of blood flow to her heart.
Vivian Lawver and her husband, Al, started researching the surgery needed to treat her condition. They knew they wanted to have Vivian's cardiologist, Dr. Leo Egbujiobi, involved and they were very pleased when they heard the surgery could be done at the Beloit hospital where he worked.
Dr. Peter Marks and his staff from Rockford Memorial Hospital performed the surgery. The four-hour surgery went well and after six nights in the hospital, the patient was ready to go home.
“Although this was our hospital's first coronary bypass surgery, we have performed 450 successful coronary angioplasties. We are tremendously proud of our success and commitment to patient safety,” said Larry Bergen, Beloit Memorial Hospital director of Cardiology. “Our track record exceeds the American College of Cardiology guidelines.”
In fact, the recommendations of the American College of Cardiology are what spurred the hospital to enter a partnership with Rockford Health System and the surgical team of Dr. Peter Marks.
Beloit Memorial Hospital has been performing coronary angioplasties since 2003, and Dr. Leo Egbujiobi and staff have been performing angioplasties on periphery arteries since 1999. Bergen said recommendations of the American College of Cardiology suggest hospitals that perform coronary angioplasties should have a program for open heart surgery as well, as a backup in case something goes wrong during angioplasty surgery.
However, Bergen added, the American College of Cardiology's own statistics show that only one out of 2,000 patients who have undergone coronary angioplasty surgery have needed this type of surgical backup. He added, none of the angioplasties performed at Beloit Memorial Hospital have had any problems.
Bergen added, it is not the intentions of Beloit Memorial Hospital to perform open heart surgery on a regular basis, but Dr. Marks and his team will do more surgeries in Beloit from time to time to keep the skills of Beloit staff sharp.
“We have to have ICU (intensive care unit) nurses trained to care for these patients after surgery. That is important,” Bergen said. “We have to have a minimum number of surgeries here. It may be in the range of about a dozen a year.”
Beloit staff also will refer patients who need open heart surgery to Rockford Memorial Hospital as well.
Beloit Memorial Hospital staff started talking to Rockford Health System, as well as other area health systems, about a year ago, planning for the first surgery in Beloit, Bergen said. During all the research and negotiations, patient safety was a key element considered.
For the Lawvers, the decision to have the surgery in Beloit was made after a lot of research and soul searching.
“We did our homework and spent many hours meeting with the staff of Beloit Memorial Hospital prior to our decision,” Al Lawver said. “After evaluating our options, Vivian made the decision to have the surgery in Beloit and we have been very impressed. We asked questions of the entire surgical and hospital team and every staff member was well prepared for the challenge. We knew we would be in good hands.”
Vivian will start her cardiac rehabilitation at Beloit Memorial Hospital soon, and she hopes to be back at her water aerobics class and working out at the YMCA soon.
By Clint Wolf
News Editor
Beloit Memorial Hospital has entered a new era of health care with the first open heart surgery being performed in Beloit.
Vivian Lawver of Rockton underwent coronary bypass surgery June 28. She needed triple bypass surgery after a heart attack in late May. She also learned that there was 90 percent blockage of blood flow to her heart.
Vivian Lawver and her husband, Al, started researching the surgery needed to treat her condition. They knew they wanted to have Vivian's cardiologist, Dr. Leo Egbujiobi, involved and they were very pleased when they heard the surgery could be done at the Beloit hospital where he worked.
Dr. Peter Marks and his staff from Rockford Memorial Hospital performed the surgery. The four-hour surgery went well and after six nights in the hospital, the patient was ready to go home.
“Although this was our hospital's first coronary bypass surgery, we have performed 450 successful coronary angioplasties. We are tremendously proud of our success and commitment to patient safety,” said Larry Bergen, Beloit Memorial Hospital director of Cardiology. “Our track record exceeds the American College of Cardiology guidelines.”
In fact, the recommendations of the American College of Cardiology are what spurred the hospital to enter a partnership with Rockford Health System and the surgical team of Dr. Peter Marks.
Beloit Memorial Hospital has been performing coronary angioplasties since 2003, and Dr. Leo Egbujiobi and staff have been performing angioplasties on periphery arteries since 1999. Bergen said recommendations of the American College of Cardiology suggest hospitals that perform coronary angioplasties should have a program for open heart surgery as well, as a backup in case something goes wrong during angioplasty surgery.
However, Bergen added, the American College of Cardiology's own statistics show that only one out of 2,000 patients who have undergone coronary angioplasty surgery have needed this type of surgical backup. He added, none of the angioplasties performed at Beloit Memorial Hospital have had any problems.
Bergen added, it is not the intentions of Beloit Memorial Hospital to perform open heart surgery on a regular basis, but Dr. Marks and his team will do more surgeries in Beloit from time to time to keep the skills of Beloit staff sharp.
“We have to have ICU (intensive care unit) nurses trained to care for these patients after surgery. That is important,” Bergen said. “We have to have a minimum number of surgeries here. It may be in the range of about a dozen a year.”
Beloit staff also will refer patients who need open heart surgery to Rockford Memorial Hospital as well.
Beloit Memorial Hospital staff started talking to Rockford Health System, as well as other area health systems, about a year ago, planning for the first surgery in Beloit, Bergen said. During all the research and negotiations, patient safety was a key element considered.
For the Lawvers, the decision to have the surgery in Beloit was made after a lot of research and soul searching.
“We did our homework and spent many hours meeting with the staff of Beloit Memorial Hospital prior to our decision,” Al Lawver said. “After evaluating our options, Vivian made the decision to have the surgery in Beloit and we have been very impressed. We asked questions of the entire surgical and hospital team and every staff member was well prepared for the challenge. We knew we would be in good hands.”
Vivian will start her cardiac rehabilitation at Beloit Memorial Hospital soon, and she hopes to be back at her water aerobics class and working out at the YMCA soon.
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