Ashtabula County Medical Center | ACMC Pulse | Summer 2016

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NEW ULTRASOUND equipment to
give cardiologists a real-time 3-D
view of the heart will be coming to
Ashtabula County Medical Center
(ACMC) soon, thanks to the ACMC
Foundation’s fundraising campaign
for 2016.
“All funds raised at events we
host this year will go toward the
purchase of the new ultrasound,”
said ACMC Foundation Executive
Director Tami Netkowicz. “It will
cost $180,000, which is money well-
spent considering heart disease
is the No. 1 killer in Ashtabula
County.”
A new level of detail
Fewer than 30 percent of medical
facilities across the country have
3-D ultrasound equipment.
“This equipment will give us
a new level of detail for viewing
possible heart problems,” said
Cleveland Clinic Cardiologist
Perry Fleisher, MD, who works
alongside three other full-time
Cleveland Clinic cardiologists and
a cardiology nurse practitioner at
ACMC. “This technology will allow
us to view the heart as it beats. We
will see different portions of the
heart beating and how blood flows
through the heart chambers and
valves. Magnetic resonance scans
do not do that.”
The test, known as a 3-D
echocardiogram, gives physicians
an improved, detailed view of
the interior of the heart muscle,
particularly the mitral valve,
which can leak or allow blood to
flow backward, which elevates
blood pressure or causes fluid
to build up in the lungs. The 3-D
ultrasound also gives physicians
a real-time view of any congenital
abnormalities, such as defects or
lesions.
“We get a clearer picture of
the form, flow and function of the
heart, but its automated features
mean we do not have to make many
manual adjustments for our tests,”
said Cleveland Clinic Cardiologist
Hari Dandapantula, MD. “We get
better detail in the images for
making our diagnoses. This also
means potentially faster and more
comprehensive test results for
patients.”
Greater accuracy
Making a faster diagnosis with
better information means physicians
can pinpoint the cause of heart
problems with a greater degree of
accuracy.
New 3-D ultrasound equipment offers greater detail, real-time images
“We can see real-time the
movement of a defective valve
or watch arrhythmia while it
happens,” said Dr. Fleisher. “This
lets us get to the root cause. We can
either treat the patient here or send
the data to a cardiac surgeon who
can make decisions prior to surgery.
We can also watch the postsurgical
improvement to the heart function
throughout the patient’s recovery
and rehabilitation.”
ACMC President and CEO
Michael Habowski said the hospital
is grateful for the potential of the
new equipment and for the support
of the local community.
“ACMC has a longstanding
tradition of reaching out to the
local community for support,
and the community has never let
us down,” he said. “Even in the
early days of this campaign, we
have seen a tremendous interest
from community members. Each
of us knows someone who has
experienced heart problems. This
new technology is one more tool
in our arsenal to combat heart
disease right here in Ashtabula
County.”
To donate to the ACMC Foundation 3-D
Echocardiogram Campaign, contact Tami
Netkowicz by calling 440-997-6605 or emailing
.
ACMC Pulse • 7
ACMC Foundation campaign
gets to the heart of diagnosis