(Bethesda, MD, September 22, 2006) – Suburban Hospital, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health, and Johns Hopkins Medicine will celebrate the official opening of the NIH Heart Center at Suburban Hospital on Friday, Sept. 29. In addition to state-of-the-art cardiac surgery and elective angioplasty, Suburban Hospital now provides easy access to advanced cardiovascular treatments available in only a handful of medical centers in the region.

The new NIH Heart Center at Suburban Hospital brings the clinical and scientific excellence of two renowned medical institutions to a community-based cardiac program in the heart of Bethesda. Through this historic collaboration with NHLBI and Johns Hopkins, the NIH Heart Center at Suburban Hospital will provide training for the next generation of cardiac surgeons and cardiologists, and, through ground-breaking research, contribute to improvements in the treatment of cardiac disease worldwide. The program is led by Dr. Keith Horvath, Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery, and Dr. Kenneth Kent, Chief of Cardiology.

To celebrate the opening, Suburban Hospital will host a Medical Symposium for cardiologists and clinical staff and a Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony on Friday, Sept. 29.

“This is an exciting model of collaboration among three organizations that each bring their unique strengths toward the goal of providing superior cardiac care for our community,” said Brian A. Gragnolati, President and CEO of Suburban Hospital.

Suburban Hospital recently opened several new facilities for the NIH Heart Center, including two digitally integrated cardiac operating suites; three new digital Catheterization Labs that provide the highest resolution available, film-viewing for doctors via high-security Internet access, and a 12-bed holding and post-recovery area; and the recently renovated cardiothoracic patient care unit and J.B. and Maurice C. Shapiro Cardiology Center to provide private, comfortable rooms for patient recovery.
 
“The NIH Heart Center at Suburban brings a world-class team of heart specialists and surgeons to individuals in Montgomery County and the greater Washington, DC, region,” said NHLBI Director Elizabeth G. Nabel, MD. “The program’s integration of scientific research with superior heart care will help not only Suburban’s patients, but also will ultimately benefit heart patients across the country.”

Nabel added that NHLBI had closed its intramural heart surgery program in 1990 due to small patient volume, cost issues, and a shift in scientific priorities. She noted that exciting new research opportunities in MRI imaging, stem cell research, and minimally invasive heart surgery prompted NHLBI to consider re-opening the program at the same time that Suburban was pursuing a new cardiac surgery initiative. “Combining the research strengths of NHLBI with Suburban’s excellent patient care and clinical focus made a lot of sense,” said Nabel.

Research studies already underway or planned for the near future include a study on neurocognitive changes after heart surgery (in collaboration with the National Institute on Neurological Disorders and Stroke), MRI evaluation of patients with the aortic valve disease called aortic stenosis to assess the need for valve replacement, and comparison of two different non-surgical procedures to correct arrhythmia in patients with atrial fibrillation. The Heart Center’s future research agenda also includes studies of stem cell transplantation and MRI-guided robotic heart surgery.

“The opening of this center is the culmination of years of discussion and efforts from many different groups,” said Edward D. Miller, MD, Dean and CEO of Johns Hopkins Medicine. “We believed, and the state agreed, that area residents needed another option for angioplasty and other intensive, state-of-the-art cardiac procedures with care provided by world-class surgeons in a community setting. It’s a win-win situation all around.” (In July 2005, the Maryland Health Care Commission approved Suburban Hospital’s certificate-of-need application to develop a Cardiac Surgery, Research, and Training Program in collaboration with NHLBI and Johns Hopkins.)

The NIH Heart Center at Suburban Hospital complements a broad range of existing cardiac programs at Suburban Hospital—from emergency/trauma care to state-of-the-art cardiac diagnostics and rehabilitation—which, over the years, have helped thousands of patients recover from heart disease. For example, the Radiology Department and the Eugene B. Casey Center for Diagnostic Cardiology offer 3-D echocardiography, 64-slice volume CT scanner, and cardiac MRI.

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Suburban Hospital is a not-for-profit, community-owned hospital in Bethesda, Maryland, that has served Montgomery County for more than 60 years. Suburban Hospital is distinguished by a cutting-edge stroke program; level II trauma center; centers of excellence in cardiac care, orthopedics and joint replacement surgery, neurosciences and oncology; state-of-the-art diagnostic and treatment tools; and affiliations with world-class institutions, including the neighboring National Institutes of Health and Johns Hopkins Medicine. www.suburbanhospital.org

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute is part of the National Institutes of Health and plans, conducts, and supports research related to the causes, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of heart, blood vessel, lung, and blood diseases; and sleep disorders. The Institute also administers national health education campaigns on women and heart disease, healthy weight for children, and other topics. NHLBI press releases and other materials are available online at http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/. 

Johns Hopkins Medicine has provided international leadership in the education of physicians and medical scientists, in biomedical research, and in the application of medical knowledge to sustain health since the opening of The Johns Hopkins Hospital in 1889. Today, Hopkins Medicine brings together the faculty physicians and scientists of The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine with the organizations, community physicians, nurses, and other professionals of The Johns Hopkins Health System to continue that mission. http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org