Tom Minas enjoys living an active lifestyle. He’s used to working long hours and likes keeping busy with his family outdoors, hiking and camping. But all of that changed nearly ten years ago when he started feeling fatigued and lightheaded.
 
Minas was diagnosed with aortic valve stenosis, a disease that can reduce or block blood flow from the heart to the aorta, the main artery that carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body. If gone untreated, aortic stenosis can cause irregular heart rhythms, blood clots which can lead to stroke, fainting, heart failure or death.
 
“I was 40 and my doctor at the time explained to me that I would probably need a valve replacement before I turned 50,” said Minas, director of surgical services at Clovis Community Medical Center and director of cardiothoracic surgery across Community Health System.
 
“Well sure enough, six years later, I was at work and felt … different,” Minas remembered. “I felt almost exactly like [my doctor] told me I would feel. I was getting shortness of breath, dizzy, but I just figured I was tired from always being on the go.”
 
Minas went to see his doctor and learned that he wasn’t exhausted — he needed a new heart valve. He underwent a minimally invasive procedure in the cardiac catheterization lab at Fresno Heart and Surgical Hospital to treat his aortic valve stenosis, but based on the development of his disease, Minas needed to undergo open heart surgery.
 

A systemwide approach to cardiac care

For patients needing complex cardiac care like Minas, having access to comprehensive services and advanced technology is important.
 
As part of the Heart & Lung Institute — Community Health System’s systemwide approach to cardiac care — advanced cardiac procedures that were offered at Community Regional Medical Center and Fresno Heart and Surgical Hospital are now being offered at Clovis Community Medical Center as well. This gives Valley patients more access to critically needed expertise and heart care.
 
Part of the expansion of services to Clovis Community included the construction of six inpatient operating rooms, two cardiac operating rooms and a hybrid operating room (hybrid OR) with surgical and medical imaging capabilities. The hybrid OR is a combination of a traditional operating room and an image-guided interventional suite that provides all the necessary cardiovascular equipment and team members in one place. This enables cardiac teams to switch seamlessly between a diagnostic look and an urgent surgery when it’s needed. Generous donors helped to equip and build these enhanced spaces. 

One team, one suite, multiple resources

The surgical team in a hybrid operating room can accommodate neuroscience, vascular and cardiac services all in one room. The team itself is multidisciplinary, bringing together experts across multiple disciplines, depending on the patient’s case. Some hybrid OR teams might be made up of the following members:
 

• Cardiac surgeon

• Interventional cardiologist

• Cardiac imaging specialist

• Heart failure specialist

• Valve disease specialist

• Anesthesiologist

• Nurse practitioner

What hybrid technology means for patient care

Community Health System performs more cardiac diagnostic procedures than any other hospital network in the region. The design and presence of multidisciplinary resources allows staff to perform complex procedures safely and efficiently.
 
“One of the biggest strengths of [hybrid operating] rooms is that they allow for more versatility in patient care,” said Minas about the expansion of cardiac care. “We can start off doing a cath lab type of procedure and if the patient needs open heart, we don’t have to move the patient. It would have saved me a lot of time in the hospital.”
 
Some of the cardiac procedures done in a hybrid operating room include:

• Angioplasty and stent placement

• Aortic valve repairs and replacements

• Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR)

• Transcatheter mitral valve repair (MitraClip)

 
Hybrid operating rooms can be used to treat different cardiovascular issues, like coronary artery disease or congenital heart disease, through valve replacement or stent graft placement. They can also be used for traumatic injuries, orthopedic procedures and emergency care.
 
Learn more about Community’s comprehensive cardiovascular care.