Second heart surgery center would benefit patients.

Byline: GUEST VIEWPOINT By Zena Monji For The Register-Guard

In his May 22 guest viewpoint, Dr. Munir Katul raised excellent questions about the advisability of having two open-heart surgery programs in central Lane County. Katul asked whether the pros and cons of creating a program at McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center have been extensively discussed in the medical community.

In short: yes.

McKenzie-Willamette proposes to expand its cardiovascular services now, in Springfield - before relocating to Eugene - in direct response to physician input and following precisely the kind of in-depth analysis Katul recommends. And the discussion is certainly not new.

Stretching back a number of years, McKenzie-Willamette and Sacred Heart Medical Center discussed collaborating on expanded cardiac services in Springfield many times. This would indicate support for a second program in the area as well as recognition of the importance of offering high-quality cardiac care to any patient in either hospital.

More than a year ago, physician board members urged McKenzie-Willamette to improve services to patients by expanding cardiac services. Subsequent discussions at the hospital's Physician Leadership Group - physicians representing a broad range of specialties - emphasized the goal: Improve outcomes for Lane County residents by expanding access to advanced cardiac care.

McKenzie-Willamette retained Health Care Visions Ltd., a Pennsylvania-based consulting firm specializing in cardiac services, to evaluate the feasibility of adding open-heart surgery in Springfield. The findings were hardly a forgone conclusion. Adding a cardiac surgery program at McKenzie-Willamette - as a safe back-up for the far more common cardiac interventions - will be expensive. Only a portion of that investment can be taken to the new hospital location.

Health Care Visions concluded that patients are being triaged and transferred who require advanced cardiac care. The consultants reported to the McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center Board of Trustees (six of whom are physicians) that they had never encountered so much physician support for addition of an open-heart surgery program. Virtually dozens of physicians have been consulted, and many have participated in ongoing planning discussions.

The surgeons who now perform open-heart surgery exclusively at Sacred Heart have said, in writing, that they want to help McKenzie-Willamette establish an open-heart program. These physicians have been performing cardiac surgery for more than 30 years and have cared for more than 17,500 patients. They've indicated they would approach development of this service at McKenzie-Willamette with `complete commitment to its success.'

It's correct that cardiac surgery success rates depend on the volume of cases done by the team involved. Analysis reveals the volume of open-heart surgery in Lane County is more than sufficient to warrant a second program, according to guidelines published by the American Heart Association, the American College of Cardiology and the American College of Surgeons. Obviously, the surgeons think so.

McKenzie-Willamette's commitment to quality was demonstrated in its approach to development of a cardiac catheterization lab, which opened last December. The equipment in that lab, and the pictures produced there, represent the state of the art in Oregon, according to the cardiologists who use the lab. McKenzie-Willamette is now adding MRI and CAT scan services to further enhance the diagnostic services available to physicians and patients.

Cardiac care is a very dynamic field of health care. Hospitals have a responsibility to understand what services will be most needed and to prioritize resources to meet those needs. When Sacred Heart moves to RiverBend, there will no longer be emergency cardiac services in downtown Eugene. Such services are needed closer to the population core. Given the prevalence of cardiovascular disease and the aging of our population, two hospitals strong in cardiac care assures patients high-quality health care regardless of the emergency room or hospital they choose.

The question should be: Is it good for our patients? Our answer: yes.

Zena Monji, M.D., is chief of staff at McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center. Twenty-three other physicians signed a statement in support of Monji's comments.

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GUEST VIEWPOINT