UC San Diego Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center Among Nation’s Best

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UC San Diego Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center (SCVC) has been featured in the latest Becker’s Hospital Review list of “100 Hospitals with Great Heart Programs.” Hospitals were selected based on quality care, clinical accolades and research contributions to the field of cardiovascular care.

“We are honored to be listed with our nation’s very best cardiovascular programs,” said Lisa Murphy, chief administrative officer of SCVC. “As the only academic hospital in San Diego, the SCVC is truly motivated to provide the best of both worlds – cardiovascular research and the ability to bring the most advanced and effective treatments directly to the patient’s bedside.”

Eight California hospitals made the list, two of which are University of California based medical centers. UC San Diego Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center is dedicated to innovative care and the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease. The state-of-the-art facility, which opened in La Jolla in 2011, is the region’s first academic-based facility to combine all heart and vascular-related services, programs and technology under one roof.

Editors at Becker’s Hospital Review recognized the SCVC for being heavily involved with clinical trials for at least 17 cardiac conditions. Further data was analyzed from sources including U.S. News & World Report, Truven Health Analytics, Blue Cross Blue Shield, the American College of Cardiology Foundation and the American Nurses Credentialing Center.

2013 is notable for many clinical achievements at SCVC, including the 3,000th pulmonary thromboendarterectomy (PTE), a lifesaving surgery to clear the lung’s arteries of scar-like tissue that robs patients of their ability to breathe. The SCVC has performed more PTE procedures than any other institution in the world with the lowest mortality rate.

According to the editors, the hospitals selected serve as anchors of health within their community by providing cutting-edge cardiovascular research. A recent UC San Diego School of Medicine study visually monitored the dynamic cellular events that take place when cardiac regeneration occurs in zebrafish after cardiac ventricular injury.  Their findings provide evidence that various cell lines in the heart are more plastic, or capable of transformation into new cell types, than previously thought. More importantly, the research reveals a novel potential source of cells for regenerating damaged heart muscle.

Another UC San Diego study identified a blood test that can measure a biomarker as an indicator of congestive heart failure. Ongoing research in this area will help experts determine other biomarkers for the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease.

Click here to view the full hospital list.

For more information, visit heartcenter.ucsd.edu