HJBR Sep/Oct 2020

54 SEP / OCT 2020  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF BATON ROUGE   Hospital Rounds CIS interventional cardiologists Drs. Peter Fail and Darrell Solet performed the procedure along with cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. V. Antoine Keller. The MitraClip® is a minimally-invasive treatment option for those with a severe leak in the mitral valve who are too high-risk for traditional open heart surgery. The condition, called mitral regur- gitation (MR), is the most common heart valve disease. The MitraClip® procedure has changed the paradigm in caring for patients with mitral regur- gitation. “CIS is proud to expand the Structural Heart portfolio at Baton Rouge General and give patients more options for valvular heart disease,” said Fail. “Our BRG Structural Heart Program is commit- ted to providing our community with the very lat- est technology that will allow patients to have shorter recovery times with less discomfort,” said Keller. A leak in the mitral valve occurs when the flaps do not close completely, causing blood to flow back into the heart as it pumps. As a result, the heart has to work harder to keep blood flowing— raising the risk for life-threatening stroke and heart failure. When MR becomes severe, it can pro- foundly affect quality of life by causing shortness of breath, extreme fatigue, and other debilitat- ing symptoms. For patients who are too high-risk for surgery, the MitraClip® offers a safe alternative treatment option. During the procedure, the small Mitra- Clip® is guided into place using a thin cathe- ter through a small incision in a leg vein. The clip is then attached to the flaps of the mitral valve to help it close more completely, restoring nor- mal blood flow. This minimally-invasive proce- dure typically results in a shorter hospital stay and improved heart function almost immediately. Woman’s Hospital Provides Updated Safety Guidelines for PregnantWomen The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently announced that pregnant women with COVID-19 may be at an increased risk of a more severe illness than women who are not preg- nant. Woman’s Hospital physicians are encour- aging pregnant women to take additional pre- cautions to protect their health and the health of their baby. The CDC findings were based on a study that noted pregnant women with COVID-19 were more likely to be hospitalized and require higher levels of care than non-pregnant women with COVID- 19. However, it’s unclear if these findings are from severe illness in pregnancy or just cautious care for those that are expecting. “Pregnant women should avoid going out in public when at all possible to minimize expo- sure,” said R. Clifton Moore, MD, medical director of maternal-fetal medicine for Woman’s Hospital. “They should also pay especially close atten- tion to their health for any symptoms of COVID- 19 and maintain regular visits with their OB-GYN to ensure both mom and baby remain in good health.” Woman’s also recommends that pregnant women self-isolate the last two weeks before delivery when possible. Moore said expecting moms should limit interactions with others as much as possible, especially in those final weeks before delivery. Recommendations for pregnant women include: • Talk to your healthcare provider about how to stay healthy. • Do not skip prenatal care appointments. • Wear a mask in public. • Wash your hands frequently. • Limit interactions with other people as much as possible. • During the last two weeks of your pregnancy, stay at home away from others. • Inform your doctor prior to your visit if you have fever or cough. Woman’s continues to promote increased infec- tion prevention protocols on campus, includ- ing limited visitation, screenings and tempera- ture checks, and mask requirements for all staff, patients, and visitors. For more information about COVID-19 precautions at Woman’s, visit womans. org/coronavirus. Woman’s Hospital Opening Gynecologic Oncology Clinic in Lafayette Woman’s Hospital in Baton Rouge is expand- ing its statewide services for gynecologic cancer to the Acadiana area with the addition of a satel- lite clinic in Lafayette, set to open in July. The clinic will be led by Anthony Evans, MD, PhD, medi- cal director of gynecologic oncology at Wom- an’s Hospital. He is one of less than a dozen GYN oncologists practicing in Louisiana. Woman’s has a long history in treating GYN cancers, dating back to the 1950s when one of the founders established a cervical cancer detec- tion laboratory. The second oldest pap lab in the nation, Woman’s is credited with helping Baton Rouge cite one of the lowest cervical cancer death rates in the country. “Many women in this area have to travel to receive specialized gynecologic cancer care,” said Evans. “We’re looking forward to providing more women in and around Lafayette the care they need close to home along with the exper- tise of Woman’s Hospital in treating women’s spe- cific cancers.” With more than 20 years of experience treating gynecologic cancers, Evans is board-certified in obstetrics & gynecology and gynecologic oncol- ogy. He embraces the use of robotics-assisted and other minimally invasive surgery methods that speed recovery and lessen down-time, and is a leader in radical and complex gynecologic sur- geries. He is also active in the latest cancer clini- cal trials. Evans understands the importance of engag- ing his patients in their treatment plan and pro- viding a thorough understanding of their condi- tion and care options. “I try to discourage patients from just saying ‘You’re the doctor, you know what’s best,’” Evans explained. “It’s important to me that they under- stand the options that are available to them, what I would recommend and why. I really want them to Anthony Evans, MD, PhD