Cardiac patients at the Northwestern Cardiovascular Institute are among the first in the country to benefit from a pump dispense system used to treat pain specifically after heart surgery. The pain relief pump delivers non-narcotic numbing medication directly to the surgical incision site, resulting in less pain and narcotics use, shorter hospital stays, and a quicker recovery for patients.
"Post-operative pain is one of the primary concerns patients have when undergoing heart surgery," said Patrick McCarthy, M.D., co-director of the Northwestern Cardiovascular Institute. "The pain relief pump not only significantly reduces pain post-operatively, but it also reduces anxiety and fear before the operation."
"Historically, pain management has been an underemphasized aspect of surgery especially heart surgery. At the Northwestern Cardiovascular Institute, our goal is to overemphasize comfort and pain management," adds Dr. McCarthy. "This is exactly what the Northwestern Cardiac Institute was designed to do serve as a national leader in bringing new techniques to the marketplace."
The Northwestern Cardiovascular Institute launched in April with Dr. McCarthy's arrival. Plans for its organizational model initially include a core infrastructure of five centers: The Center for Heart Valve Disease, The Center for Heart Failure, The Center for Atrial Fibrillation, The Center for Coronary Disease, and the Center for Endovascular Disease.
The Institute has already successfully recruited key members, including: Edwin Clyde McGee, Jr., M.D. a renowned cardiothoracic surgeon from Cleveland Clinic who previously trained at Harvard; Robert Silverberg, M.D. with 26 years of clinical experience one of two cardiologists who will work with Dr. McCarthy in developing the cardiology/cardiac surgery service for evaluation of patients pre- and post-operatively; and other key members from the surgical team at the Cleveland Clinic.
In addition, another new feature of the Institute is the Siemens Medical Solutions' MAGNETOM Avanto - a revolutionary new magnetic resonance (MR) technology. Northwestern Memorial is the first hospital in the Midwest and the third in the nation to install this new scanner. "It will be a major component of cardiac imaging at the Institute," said James Carr, M.D., Director of Cardiovascular Imaging in the Department of Radiology at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. "This state-of-the-art scanner allows us to acquire more detailed images of the heart than previously possible and sets the stage to develop even faster, more far-reaching techniques for cardiac imaging. Our goal is to someday have the ability to provide a comprehensive evaluation of the heart in one single scan."
About Northwestern Memorial Hospital
Northwestern Memorial Hospital (NMH) is one of the country's premier academic medical centers and is the primary teaching hospital of Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine. Northwestern Memorial and its Prentice Women's Hospital and Stone Institute of Psychiatry have 744 beds and more than 1,200 affiliated physicians and 5,000 employees. Providing state-of-the-art care, NMH is recognized for its outstanding clinical and surgical advancements in such areas as cardiothoracic and vascular care, gastroenterology, neurology and neurosurgery, oncology, organ and bone marrow transplantation, and women's health.
Fact Sheet: Pain Relief Pump for Cardiac Surgery
How does it work?
What are the benefits of the pain relief pump?
Can the pain relief pump help cut costs?
Is the pain relief pump used for any other types of surgeries?
About Northwestern Memorial Hospital
Northwestern Memorial Hospital (NMH) is one of the country's premier academic medical centers and is the primary teaching hospital of Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine. Northwestern Memorial and its Prentice Women's Hospital and Stone Institute of Psychiatry have 744 beds and more than 1,200 affiliated physicians and 5,000 employees. Providing state-of-the-art care, NMH is recognized for its outstanding clinical and surgical advancements in such areas as cardiothoracic and vascular care, gastroenterology, neurology and neurosurgery, oncology, organ and bone marrow transplantation, and women's health.
Northwestern Memorial was ranked as the nation's 5th best hospital by the 2002 Consumer Checkbook survey of the nation's physicians and is listed in the majority of specialties in this year's US News & World Report's issue of "America's Best Hospitals." NMH is also cited as one of the "100 Best Companies for Working Mothers" by Working Mother magazine and has been chosen by Chicagoans year after year as their "most preferred hospital" in National Research Corporation's annual survey.