The Memorial Cardiac and Vascular Institute (MCVI), a leading provider of adult cardiac services in South Florida, has received federal approval from UNOS (United Network for Organ Sharing) to launch an adult heart transplant program at Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood.
"This is a momentous occasion for the MCVI team, who has worked diligently to create a program of the caliber required for heart transplantation," said Richard Perryman, MD, medical director, MCVI.
"We also believe it's great news for the South Florida community and the patients and families we have the pleasure to serve," Dr. Perryman pointed out. The MCVI Adult Cardiac Transplant Heart Program is the only one of its kind in Broward County and one of only two programs in South Florida to offer total heart care which includes heart transplantation.
"MCVI's highly skilled, multidisciplinary team raises the bar even higher on cardiac care in the community," said Zeff Ross, senior vice president and chief executive officer, Memorial Regional Hospital. Prior to federal approval, statistics showed that a large number of patients did not have sufficient access to heart transplant services and many had to seek services outside South Florida and even out of state.
The UNOS approval now clears the path for surgeon Enrique Gongora, MD, medical director, Adult Cardiac Transplant Program, to perform the first heart transplant in the hospital's history. Ioana Dumitru, medical director, Adult Cardiac Transplant, Heart Failure and Cardiomyopathy, will lead the management of cardiac transplant patient care before and after transplant.
"Heart transplantation demands a comprehensive team effort," Dr. Gongora explained. "Beyond the physicians, we're fortunate to have a team of high caliber, dedicated nurses, intensivists, perfusionists, and laboratory medicine experts - all levels of patient care - who are helping us make this dream a reality."
Dr. Enrique Gongora is a board-certified cardiac surgeon. He earned his medical degree from the Universidad del Rosario in Bogota in 1992. Dr. Gongora completed residency training in general surgery and a fellowship in surgical critical care at Washington Hospital Center in Washington, DC. He then completed a residency in cardiothoracic surgery at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester. He then pursued further fellowship training in adult cardiac surgery and thoracic transplantation/mechanical circulatory support at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Prior to joining Memorial Healthcare System, Dr. Gongora served as Director of Thoracic Transplantation at Scott & White Clinic-Texas A & M Health Science Center College Medicine (Temple, TX) and as Surgical Director of Heart Transplantation and Mechanical Circulatory Support at Drexel University College of Medicine, Hahnemann University Hospital (Philadelphia, PA).
Dr. Ioana Dumitru is a board-certified advanced heart failure and transplant cardiologist. She earned her medical degree from the Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Bucharest, Romania in 1996. She completed her residency in internal medicine at St. Joseph Hospital/Northwestern Medical School in Chicago in 2000. Dr. Dumitru completed her fellowship in cardiovascular disease at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, and her fellowship in heart failure and cardiac transplantation at Washington University School of Medicine, in 2003. Prior to joining Memorial Healthcare System, Dr. Dumitru was the founder and Medical Director of the Heart Failure and Cardiac Transplant Program at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.
Memorial Cardiac and Vascular Institute is a leader in cardiovascular care in South Florida, offering a wide array of services dedicated to the prevention, detection and treatment of cardiovascular disease. Its specialists work together as a multidisciplinary team using sophisticated diagnostic equipment and facilities dedicated solely to cardiovascular care. Outcomes of cardiovascular care are reviewed on a regular basis by multidisciplinary physician-review panels assisted by nurses specializing in quality assurance and utilizing computerized data collection. With extraordinary medical expertise, advanced technology and exacting quality guidelines, Memorial Cardiac and Vascular Institute offers a superior level of cardiovascular care to the South Florida community and beyond. For more information on your total heart care, visit memorialcardiac.com
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