STONY BROOK, NY, February 11, 2003 — To help focus public attention during February (Heart Month), Stony Brook University Hospital is participating in the ADHERE (Acute Decompensated Heart Failure National Registry) program.
ADHERE is a nationwide registry that has been established to collect and analyze demographic data and treatment in patients hospitalized with the diagnosis of congestive heart failure (CHF). Tens of thousands of patients from more than 200 hospitals across the country will be entered into the database during the next few years. It already has more than 30,000 patients enrolled from 200 U.S. hospitals.
“The information collected will enable us to follow treatment trends within our hospital, institute measures to ensure quality of care and aid in the appropriate allocation of health care resources, overall improving care of patients with CHF,”says Krishnamurthy Suresh, MD, chief of the Heart Failure Program at Stony Brook University Hospital.
According to the American Heart Association, 550,000 people are diagnosed with congestive heart failure each year in this country, about as many people who suffer heart attacks. Fifty percent of individuals with CHF die within five years of the initial diagnosis. Congestive heart failure forces over one million hospitalizations yearly, which adds $21 billion in costs to the healthcare system.
Stony Brook’s Heart Failure Service is dedicated to “providing expert care for all CHF patients, especially those at highest risk for repeated acute crises,” says Michele Caccavano, ANP, nurse coordinator.
“We want to break the cycle of repeated hospitalizations, educate patients about the illness and help them self-manage their condition at home. The goal is not only to improve survival but also quality of life. The cost benefit of such an approach is well established. High priority is placed on frequent follow-up telephone conversations to monitor at-home care, to achieve optimum medication regimens, to monitor conditions intensely, and to provide immediate response to meeting patients’ needs,” she added.
Stony Brook has launched an expansion and renovation construction program for its Heart Center as part of the hospital’s five-year Master Plan. When completed in two years, the newly consolidated Heart Center will have three cardiac catheterization laboratories, two electrophysiology laboratories for treating heart arrhythmias, 28 recovery beds, a 10-bed coronary intensive care unit, a 25-bed “step-down” unit, a new lobby, administrative space and support services.
“Our state-of-the-art Heart Center will provide the finest care possible for all cardiac patients throughout the region and beyond. Our 350 members of the Heart Center are totally dedicated to meeting the needs of the patients we serve,” states Irvin B. Krukenkamp, MD, the hospital’s Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery and Director of the comprehensive Heart Center.
