Research and Education

Sharp Memorial cardiac specialists continue to advance heart care through participation in cutting-edge research and presentations. Below is a partial list of our achievements.

Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs).

Published research: Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 2011
Title: Clinical Strategies and Outcomes in Advanced Heart Failure Patients Older Than 70 Years of Age Receiving the HeartMate II® Left Ventricular Assist Device: A Community Hospital Experience
Authors: Adamson, R.; Stahovich, M.; Chillcott, S.; Baradarian, S.; Chammas, J.; Jaski, B.E.; Hoagland, P.; Dembitsky, W.
Findings: Sharp Memorial Hospital patients older than 70 had good functional recovery, survival and quality of life two years after receiving an LVAD, providing evidence that advanced age should not be considered a contraindication when selecting a candidate for an LVAD.

Presentation: Heart Failure Society of America, 2011, Boston
Speakers: Rob Adamson, MD; Brian E. Jaski, MD, FACC
Findings: LVADs are becoming a more cost-effective treatment for hospitals to provide, nearing the cost of heart transplants.

Ongoing research: San Diego State University, Bioengineering Laboratory.

For more than 15 years, surgeons at Sharp Memorial have partnered with SDSU's Bioengineering Laboratory to research the impact of left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) on the cardiovascular system. Using advanced technology that simulates the circulation of a patient with an LVAD, surgeons work alongside graduate and undergraduate students to research solutions to real-life challenges facing these patients, including the threat of blood clots and problems with heart valves.

The lab's findings have been used to shape clinical practice, both at Sharp Memorial and at hospitals across the nation. Sharp Memorial surgeons and lab staff have collaborated on published studies, most notably in ASAIO Journal, Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation, Journal of Biomechanics, and Cardiovascular Engineering and Technology.

Wireless monitoring technology.

Participant: Champion Trial Study Group, 2011
Summary: Studied whether wireless measurement of pulmonary pressure allowed doctors to manage patient symptoms at home and reduce heart failure hospital admissions.
Findings: Use of the monitoring system showed a significant and large reduction in hospitalization among Sharp Memorial Hospital heart failure patients.

Advanced heart failure.

Textbook: Four Stages of Heart Failure, 2015
Author: Brian E. Jaski, MD, FACC
Summary: Applies practical clinical concepts to the latest four-stage model of heart failure from preclinical risk and early asymptomatic disease to classic symptomatic heart failure and finally advanced heart failure.

Emergency medicine.

Published Research: The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, 2009
Title: A 20-Year Experience With Urgent Percutaneous Cardiopulmonary Bypass for Salvage of Potential Survivors of Refractory Cardiovascular Collapse
Authors: Jaski, B.E.; Ortiz, B.; Alla, K.R.; Smith, S.C. Jr; Glaser, D.; Walsh, C.; Chillcott, S.; Stahovich, M.; Adamson, R.; Dembitsky, W.
Summary: Reported on Sharp Memorial's 20-year use of an extracorporeal life support (ELS) system to resuscitate patients in the hospital who experience cardiac arrest when initial resuscitation measures are ineffective.
Findings: More than one-quarter of Sharp Memorial patients resuscitated using an ELS system achieved long-term survival. This practical application of inexpensive available technology should be more widely used.

Published Research: The Journal of Emergency Medicine, 2012
Title: Emergency Department Initiation of Cardiopulmonary Bypass: A Case Report and Review of the Literature
Authors: Shinar, Z.; Bellezzo, J.; Paradis, N.; Dembitsky, W.; Jaski, B.E.; Mallon, W.; Watt, T.
Summary: Reported a case from Sharp Memorial's Emergency Department in which emergency physician-initiated extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) was used as a bridge to definitive care in an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.
Findings: ECMO is a novel adjunct for patients in cardiac arrest with whom usual advanced life support techniques have failed.

Published Research: Resuscitation, 2012
Title: Emergency Physician-Initiated Extracorporeal Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (ECPR)
Authors: Bellezzo, J.M.; Shinar, Z.; Davis, D.P.; Jaski, B.E.; Chillcott, S.; Stahovich, M.; Walker, C.; Baradarian, S.; Dembitsky, W.
Study: Determined whether Sharp Memorial Emergency Department physicians could successfully incorporate ECPR into the resuscitation of patients in the Emergency Department with acute cardiopulmonary collapse.
Findings: Physicians can successfully incorporate ECPR in the Emergency Department to resuscitate patients who suffer acute cardiopulmonary collapse.