Every year, 900 preventable deaths from cardiovascular disease occur in Kentucky’s 5th congressional district alone, according to one health statistic cited recently by University of Kentucky president Eli Capilouto at the unveiling of UK HealthCare’s new Cardiovascular Inpatient Unit, a 64-bed hub on the eighth fl oor of Pavilion A at the Chandler Hospital. UK calls the unit one of the largest of its type in the country with 32 intensive care beds and 32 progressive care beds. “It’s a powerful day for the University of Kentucky, but more so for the commonwealth,” Capilouto told the crowd.
Two years ago, the University of Kentucky convened a team of physicians, nurses, technicians and therapists to help design a new cardiovascular unit at UK’s Chandler Hospital. In December, the university unveiled the results of their labor: a 64-bed cardiovascular inpatient unit, aimed at providing advanced care that is conveniently centered around the patient.
“The team met its mission to design a facility that provides the most advanced, sophisticated medical and surgical care for patients in an uplifting, healing environment,” Dr. Susan Smyth, medical director for the Gill Heart Institute, told visitors to the unit. It took 18 months to recruit, hire and intensely train staff for the new ICU, billed as one of the largest of its type in the nation. Nurses are stationed outside patient rooms, and a central monitoring station allows a second nurse to observe patients as well.
Patients can get non-invasive tests, such as vascular imaging and echocardiograms, on the same floor. Some machines can be brought directly into a patient’s room, rather than transporting sick individuals to other parts of the hospital.
The new unit has also incorporated the use of a bar-code system that allows nurses to store and access patient information using a mobile phone app, which also advises staff when to deliver the proper dosage of medication to the correct patient. Nurses can use the technology to check a patient’s record and look at vital signs, allergies and details about the medicine prescribed. The mobile units can also scan a patient’s wristband to assure the right patient is being treated.
“One of the biggest issues in hospitals is medication errors,” said Smyth. “With this type of technology, we anticipate dramatically reducing and preventing medication errors.” The unit is also designed to off er a pleasant atmosphere for patients, with plentiful artwork on the walls and large windows in patients’ rooms that off er views of the UK campus and downtown Lexington. All are considered part of the healing process.
“There is a tremendous psychological advantage to being able to look out and see the outside world when you’re sick,” said Dr. Michael Sekela, surgical director of the Gill Heart Institute.
The healing effects of movement and exercise for heart patients have also been incorporated into the plan for the new unit, Sekela said.
“Our staff is dedicated to moving and walking the patients every day,” said Sekela. “The body has to recover in order to help the heart recover.”
Sekela also noted the depression factor facing heart patients. “It’s very dramatic. You can imagine being stuck in older rooms in hospitals — it’s almost like being in a dungeon. People who weren’t sick could get depressed. If you are sick and can’t get up and move, you never recover.”
Sekela came to UK in 1991 and helped launch the university’s heart and lung transplant program. He performed UK’s fi rst heart transplant in the same year. The patient is still alive 23 years later, according to UK, and is one of the longest surviving heart-transplant recipients in the United States.
Dr. Michael Karpf, executive vice president for health aff airs at UK HealthCare, said that UK has grown into a regional referral center, treating patients with the most complex medical problems. Karpf said the ability to treat serious medical conditions in-state has been a top priority.
“No matter how ill [Kentuckians] were, no matter how complex their problems were, they could be taken care of in Kentucky. They would not have to worry whether their insurance would allow them to go to the Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, Vanderbilt University or places like that. We had to be every bit as good as them,” Karpf said.
As for treating patients, Karpf feels UK has reached that highest level of performance in cardiology.
“We can do anything anyone else in the country can do and do it as well. We’re living up to our promise to make sure Kentuckians with cardiovascular problems are taken care of in Kentucky,” Karpf said.
In order for UK to support its advanced programs like heart transplantation, it needs
a significant patient population to provide the infrastructure. Karpf said UK draws from a population base of 8 million to 10 million people.
“That goes beyond Kentucky, but ensures Kentucky has access to these kinds of facilities,” Karpf said.