Innovations & Insights
The Montefiore-Einstein Heart Center is defined by its commitments: state of the art, compassionate care; maintaining internationally renowned staff; and above all, pushing the limits of current medical knowledge with extensive clinical research.
For Montefiore-Einstein Heart Center, the possibility of better care for patients is a call to action: Montefiore-Einstein's dedicated medical professionals work tirelessly to stay at the forefront of research to develop the medicines, therapies, and procedures that comprise the gold standard of heart care.
Innovations at Montefiore-Einstein Heart Center
Since Montefiore-Einstein made headlines by implanting the first pacemaker in 1958, they have continued to take a leadership role in innovations in cardiac medicine:
SVR
Surgical ventricular reconstruction reduces the size of a patient's failing, enlarged heart to ensure that blood is pumped out of the heart and through the body efficiently. Montefiore-Einstein Cardiothoracic Surgery Department Chairman Dr. Robert Michler was among the first surgeons in the United States to perform SVR as part of the STICH trial sponsored by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. He is the chairman of the Surgical Therapy Committee for the STICH trial.
An integrated approach to pediatric care
Most pediatric heart centers are organized according to medical disciplines, but the pediatric cardiothoracic program at Montefiore-Einstein tears down these walls. Here, doctors collaborate across disciplines to provide the most efficient care for all patients. Using the team approach to patient care, CHAM (Children's Hospital at Montefiore) combines the skills of every member of its multidisciplinary team to pioneer hybrid procedures that combine surgical and interventional techniques.
Mechanical assistance devices
Montefiore leads the nation in clinical trials for ventricular assist devices (VAD), or heart pumps, including several trials funded by the National Institutes of Health. From testing the use of pumps as an alternative to transplant, to pioneering the use of smaller, second generation pumps, Montefiore's commitment to innovation means increased treatment options for patients.
Stem cells
Montefiore-Einstein physicians imagine a world where procedures exist to restore the areas of the heart damaged by heart attack, and is spearheading research to make that possible. By partnering with Dr. Piero Anversa, the world's foremost authority on cardiac stem cells, Montefiore-Einstein is in the lab identifying cardiac stem cells, studying their properties, and determining whether it's possible to coax these cells to multiply rapidly to regenerate healthy tissue.
Creating and sharing knowledge
The research at Montefiore-Einstein Heart Center is made possible because of a collaboration between the heart center and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Because of this marriage between clinical and academic knowledge, Montefiore-Einstein is truly in the business of creating knowledge, teaching that knowledge to others, and implementing that knowledge to benefit patients. By pushing the boundaries of current research, Montefiore-Einstein Heart Center isn't just practicing cutting edge medicine, it's redefining the field.
