Atrium Health Navicent The Medical Center is First in Central Georgia to Successfully Place Barostim Implant
In January, Atrium Health Navicent The Medical Center became the first health system in central Georgia to perform a Barostim implant in a heart failure patient. The implant stimulates natural sensors in the body that tell the nervous system how to regulate heart function and helps to relieve symptoms of heart failure by reducing the heart’s workload and improving the heart’s pumping efficiency.
“Our bodies have a sympathetic system, also known as the ‘fight or flight system,’ and the parasympathetic system which calms us down. In heart failure patients, the heart feels like it’s always in a stressful state of fight or flight. The Barostim implant stimulates a nerve to calm the body, improving heart function,” said Dr. Erskine James, an Atrium Health Navicent cardiologist who treats heart failure patients. “It’s a new tool we can use to help patients feel better, so they can have more energy and live fuller lives.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 6.2 million American adults have heart failure. Symptoms relieved by the Barostim implant include shortness of breath during daily activities, having trouble breathing when lying down, weight gain and generally feeling tired or weak.
Candidates for the device include heart failure patients who continue to have symptoms despite medical therapy. Patients also typically have heart failure from a weakened heart, or heart failure with reduced ejection fracture. The new Barostim procedure, performed by vascular surgeon, Dr. Jason Chapman, is just one of the many vascular and endovascular care options available close to home at the Atrium Health Navicent Luce Heart Institute. In fact, Atrium Health Navicent is one of only four hospital systems in the nation — and the only one in Georgia — to receive the triple crown of heart accreditations by the American College of Cardiology. These designations include Chest Pain Center with Primary PCI Accreditation, Heart Failure Accreditation and Atrial Fibrillation with EPS Accreditation.
Atrium Health Navicent was one of the first in the region to implement the use of the Watchman device for people with Atrial Fibrillation (AFib). The Watchman procedure is one of several ways patients can get specialized care at the Structural Heart and Valve Clinic at Atrium Health Navicent, one of only two such clinics south of Atlanta, and the only one in our region to offer Transaortic Valve Replacement (TAVR).
To find a doctor, visit www.NavicentHealth.org and click “Find A Doctor.”
About Atrium Health Navicent
Atrium Health Navicent is the leading provider of health care in central and south Georgia and is committed to its mission of elevating health and wellbeing through compassionate care. Atrium Health Navicent is part of Advocate Health, which is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, and is the third-largest nonprofit health system in the United States, created from the combination of Atrium Health and Advocate Aurora Health. Atrium HealthNavicent provides high-quality, personalized care in 53 specialties at more than 50 facilities throughout the region. As part of the largest, integrated, nonprofit health system in the Southeast, it is also able to tap into some of the nation’s leading medical experts and specialists with Atrium Health, allowing it to provide the best care close to home – including advanced innovations in virtual medicine and care. Throughout its 125-year history in the community, Atrium Health Navicent has remained dedicated to enhancing health and wellness for individuals throughout the region through nationally recognized quality care, community health initiatives and collaborative partnerships. It is also one of the leading teaching hospitals in the region, helping to ensure viability for rural health care for the next generation. For more information, please visit www.NavicentHealth.org.
About Advocate Health
Advocate Health is the third-largest nonprofit integrated health system in the United States – created from the combination of Advocate Aurora Health and Atrium Health. Providing care under the names Advocate Health Care in Illinois, Atrium Health in the Carolinas, Georgia and Alabama, and Aurora Health Care in Wisconsin, Advocate Health is a national leader in clinical innovation, health outcomes, consumer experience and value-based care, with Wake Forest University School of Medicine serving as the academic core of the enterprise. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Advocate Health serves nearly 6 million patients and is engaged in hundreds of clinical trials and research studies. It is nationally recognized for its expertise in cardiology, neurosciences, oncology, pediatrics and rehabilitation, as well as organ transplants, burn treatments and specialized musculoskeletal programs. Advocate Health employs nearly 155,000 team members across 68 hospitals and over 1,000 care locations and offers one of the nation’s largest graduate medical education programs with over 2,000 residents and fellows across more than 200 programs. Committed to equitable care for all, Advocate Health provides nearly $6 billion in annual community benefits.