VCU news

By Pamela DiSalvo Lepley
Division of University Relations

The Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center has been identified as one of the top 100 U.S. hospitals that set the nation’s benchmarks for cardiovascular care, according to a Thomson Reuters study.  It is one of only two Virginia hospitals named in the study.

The annual study, the 2008 Thomson Reuters 100 Top Hospitals: Cardiovascular Benchmarks for Success, examined the performance of nearly 1,000 hospitals by analyzing clinical outcomes for patients diagnosed with heart failure and heart attacks and for those who received coronary bypass surgery and angioplasties.

“This recognition reaffirms our position as a national leader in advanced cardiac care,” said Eugene P. Trani, VCU president and president and chair of the VCU Health System, who underwent quintuple bypass surgery at the VCU Medical Center this past summer.

“The VCU Medical Center, through its Pauley Heart Center, is at the forefront of developing and implementing cardiovascular procedures and leading the way in regards to high quality and safe patient care,” said Dr. Sheldon Retchin, CEO of the VCU Health System and vice president of VCU Health Sciences.

The study, in its 10th year, focused on short-term, acute care, nonfederal U.S. hospitals that treat a broad spectrum of cardiology patients. In making the announcement, the company said that the top hospitals have set the new standard for cardiovascular disease outcomes, process of care, efficiency and lower costs.

“The significance of the Thomson Reuters study is that it really measures patient outcomes, compliance with national guidelines and quality of patient care,” said Dr. George W. Vetrovec, professor and chair of Cardiology. “The study affirms the expertise and dedication of the entire medical staff to the day-to-day management of heart attacks, heart failure and cardiac surgeries and procedures.”

The VCU Pauley Heart Center is recognized nationally for treating heart failure and heart transplantation, and is among the first in the United States to implant the CardioWest temporary Total Artificial Heart, or TAH-t – the only total artificial heart approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

“We are steeped in the tradition of being at the vanguard,” said Dr. Vigneshwar Kasirajan, professor and chair of Cardiothoracic Surgery. “This study validates that our commitment to advance all areas – from the latest diagnostic tools and medical therapies to mechanical assist devices – is making an impact and saving lives.”

Thomson Reuters said the Top 100 hospitals identified in the study provide enormous value to their communities because heart disease is still the nation’s No. 1 killer.

In January 2006, the VCU Heart Center became the VCU Pauley Heart Center, in recognition of a $5 million gift from the Pauley Family Foundation. The designation places the heart center among only a few named major heart centers across the country. Impressed with the staff’s dedication and care, the Pauley family wanted to give something back that would benefit not only Virginia Commonwealth University but also would help all Virginians.