The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
UH Elyria expands cardiac care
Lorain County patients requiring highly complex procedures can now receive care close to home.
A revamped and reinvigorated cardiac surgery team now is performing procedures at University Hospitals Elyria Medical Center that previously required patients to travel to University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, according to a news release.
A core team of four highly skilled surgeons from UH Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute are traveling to Lorain County as needed to perform advanced coronary artery bypass graft surgery, aortic and mitral valve surgery, and minimally invasive operations, the release said.
Anchored by on site lead Dr. Omar Hussian, the expanded team of cardiac surgeons consists of Dr. Marc Pelletier; Dr. Yasir AbuOmar; and Dr. Pablo Ruda Vega.
The team supplements and complements the outstanding diagnostic and treatment services that have been provided at UH Elyria for decades by expert cardiovascular specialists with UH Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute’s North Ohio Heart group, the release said.
In addition to cardiac surgery, patients seeking care at UH Elyria are also reaping the benefit of having Dr. Steven Filby available to perform complex transcatheter structural heart procedures, according to the release.
Dr. Ravi Ramani, an expert in advanced heart failure and transplantation, also is available to UH Elyria patients as well as internationally renowned expert on Fibromuscular Dysplasia and venous and arterial disorders, Dr. Heather Gornik.
“This is a new era for UH Elyria Medical Center,” Hussian said. “The hospital has excellent anesthesiologists, cardiologists, nurses, nurse practitioners, technicians and many other health care professionals already on site.
“With this outstanding team in place, we felt we could offer even more complex care to the people in Elyria and surrounding communities. Our physicians are traveling so patients don’t have to.”
Dr. Mehdi H. Shishehbor, president of UH Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute, echoes the organization’s commitment to the people of Lorain County.
“UH Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute is fully committed to providing the highest quality cardiovascular and open heart surgery to patients at UH Elyria Medical Center,” Shishehbor said. “With the recent completion of an $11 million surgical suite renovation at the hospital, the time was right to bring the highest level of cardiovascular care to Lorain County.”
The transformational renovation of surgical suites, along with pre-and post-operative areas at the hospital included the completion of an operating room designed to accommodate high-acuity cardiovascular procedures, the release said.
UH Elyria Medical Center is the only hospital in Lorain County offering cardiac surgery and a full-service Level III cardiac catheterization and electrophysiology procedures.