Heart and vascular conditions are some of the most serious health issues in Northern Kentucky. Thanks to St. Elizabeth Healthcare’s efforts to provide the community with the cutting edge in medical therapies, cardiologists like Dr. Ben Peterson with the Florence Wormald Heart & Vascular Institute have access to innovative trials and medical research designed to provide St. Elizabeth patients with the latest advancements in heart health.
LINK nky sat down with Dr. Peterson to learn more.
—
LINK nky: Could you list some of the most common conditions you treat and share some of your approaches to managing these conditions? How do you work with patients to improve their quality of life?
Dr. Peterson: “We see patients across the spectrum of heart disease and collaborate with partners who specialize in areas such as women’s heart disease, congestive heart failure, leg disease, and cardiac surgery. I specialize in interventional cardiology, specifically valves and structural interventions. New technologies and techniques that have emerged in the last 10 years have replaced the need for open-heart surgery in many cases. For example, aortic valve repairs have been available for approximately 10 years and have been approved by the FDA. We work hard to stay up-to-date with the latest trends in valve care and stay involved with innovation and research to provide the most updated and nuanced treatment options.
Rather than working as individual practitioners, we have adopted a team-based approach. We rely on the strengths and expertise of each team member to provide comprehensive care. We view patients as the star of the show, as they ultimately make decisions regarding medications and procedures. To ensure effective communication and collaboration, I make sure that patients are comfortable with their treatment requirements and understand their purpose. We have a great team of nurse practitioners and nurses who are also available to address any further questions or concerns. We also welcome second opinions from patients who seek alternative perspectives. Ultimately, we believe that our patients’ health is of utmost importance.”
LINK nky: Can you expand upon the current research that you are working on in regards to heart health?
Dr. Peterson: “Currently, we are working on sponsored clinical trials in the Heart Center, and increasing the number of clinical trials at a rapid rate. For example, we are looking at congestive heart failure and developing an implantable device that uses artificial intelligence algorithms to predict when a patient is going to go into heart failure, based on heartbeat patterns. We are also researching a new blood thinner for patients with atrial fibrillation, a condition that causes strokes. Sometimes bleeding occurs in these patients, and this new blood thinner is thought to be safer.
For heart attack patients, we are studying the use of an injectable medicine that can be self-administered in the event of another heart attack. This medicine can help alleviate chest pain before the ambulance arrives, potentially preventing some negative outcomes.
Heart disease is the number one killer in Northern Kentucky, but our region also struggles with high rates of lung cancer. Fortunately,St. Elizabeth lung cancer screening program–the largest in the country–also, scans using a low-dose CAT scan. These scans can reveal the amount of disease present in the arteries, which is a common cause of heart attacks–and patients with heart disease are referred to follow-up care. We are actively investigating if we can catch these issues before they develop.
We also conduct pharmacogenomic tests, which are broad genetic tests done to assess a patient’s likelihood of experiencing adverse reactions to drugs based on their genetic profile. We use these tests to check patients post-heart attack or stent placement who require cholesterol-lowering medications. By measuring their likelihood of adverse reactions, we can practice precision medicine and offer personalized treatments.The pharmacogenomic test is also already available for use by current St. Elizabeth patients.
We study the response rate after stent placement and test for all known mutations associated with heart disease. Additionally, we are partnering with industry and leading researchers across the world to develop Polygenic Risk Scores specifically for heart disease.. that allow us to be specific in our predictions rather than focusing on the small handful of individual genes that we already know to be related to heart disease.
One day in the not-too-distant future, we hope to use these scores to detect heart disease before it fully develops.
Finally, we are addressing congestive heart failure by participating in a study of a device that creates a shunt and with an upcoming study that utilizes voice recognition and AI to detect heart failure. We hope these approaches can improve the survival rate for these patients.”
LINK nky: Besides research, what other types of work are you involved in within your field? Are you engaged in any educational or preventive efforts?
Dr. Peterson: “We are focused on building integrated systems of care and increasing clinical trials to offer cutting-edge treatments to patients and the community.
Additionally, we aim to involve patients in complex care pathways tailored to their specific disease states. Previously, if a patient had heart disease, they would just go to the same cardiologist for any and all heart treatments and procedures. Now, as the sophistication of cardiovascular care increases, our goal as a full-service destination heart center is to provide collaborative care and a team-based approach. We ensure that patients have access to the physicians with the most expertise available for his or her specific condition, and our team works together to establish specific goals and provide collaborative care.
We also have mobile units that allow us to reach patients and provide care outside of traditional healthcare settings. Additionally, we are launching a cardiometabolic program that focuses on assessing and managing conditions such as diabetes and other factors that contribute to heart disease. By considering patients’ families, lifestyles, and disease management, we aim to promote healthier lives and a healthier community.”
LINK nky: Can you share an example of a patient’s experience and how it positively impacted their overall health journey?
Dr. Peterson: “We had a patient in her 80s who was very high-functioning and active until she started to experience significant shortness of breath. She also served as a caregiver for her daughter with special needs. Although her symptoms were vague, we discovered that her aortic valve was starting to narrow and required replacement.
A few weeks ago, we performed the valve repair procedure. Many people relied on her, and her health was crucial to their well-being. The procedure disrupted her day-to-day life, but she was able to return home just two days later, thanks to the care and support of her family members and loved ones.
The improvement in her breathing was dramatic, and while we can see the technical improvement in numbers, the patient’s well-being is what truly matters. In the process of her evaluation for the transcatheter valve procedure, we were able to discuss the latest innovations in valve care, and thanks to a newly available valve, we were able to get a much better result than was possible even a few months ago. ”
Learn more about St. Elizabeth Healthcare and Dr. Peterson here.
