Dr. Yoel Vivas (fourth from left) with assistants at Delray Medical Center’s Electrophysiology Department. Vivas performed an atrial fibrillation operation that destroyed problem areas in the heart and implanted a device to block clots. From left are Jeanna Goudey, Dora Jean-Charles, Darcy Nikes, Vivas, Abigail Catalano, Jorge Molina, Sima Ramsi, Juanita Walker, Antonia Stypelkoski and Brianna Mezter. Photo provided
Delray Medical Center now offers a procedure to treat patients with atrial fibrillation — a condition that causes irregular heartbeats — by combining two treatments in one surgery.
A-fib causes the upper chambers of the heart to beat in an irregular fashion, preventing blood from freely flowing to the lower chambers of the heart.
This can cause a blood clot to form in the heart’s top left chamber. If a clot forms and breaks off in the bloodstream, it can travel to the brain and cause a stroke.
The first procedure of this kind at the hospital was performed by Dr. Yoel Vivas, a cardiologist and heart rhythm specialist who serves as the director of Delray Medical Center’s Electrophysiology Department.
He used the hospital’s Farapulse pulsed field ablation system to target and destroy the problem areas in the heart without damaging nearby tissues.
The system, which received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in January 2024, uses electric fields, not heat.
In the same procedure, Vivas placed a Watchman implant in the patient’s left atrial appendage.
This device helps block blood clots from forming and may reduce the need for blood thinners. Over time, new heart tissue grows over the implant, permanently sealing off the area and lowering the risk of stroke.
JFK Hospital receives specialty treatment honors
HCA Florida JFK Hospital has received several specialty excellence awards from Healthgrades. The hospital placed among the top 5% nationally for surgical care, spine surgery and overall orthopedic services.
It placed among the nation’s top 10% for cardiac surgery, vascular surgery, cardiac services, pulmonary services, coronary intervention and treatment of stroke.
The hospital was also rated five stars for 18 services including colorectal surgeries, gallbladder removal, treatment of sepsis, respiratory failure and diabetic emergencies.
Additionally, JFK Hospital was ranked No. 4 in Florida for orthopedic and spine surgery.
Delray Medical lauded for vascular care
In December, Delray Medical Center was identified as a Carotid Care Quality Champion by the Society of Vascular Surgery’s clinical registry recognition program.
“This recognition is only awarded to facilities that are demonstrating their commitment to quality through use of our carotid registries and leveraging real-world data to inform needed adjustments in care delivery,” said Dr. Jens Eldrup-Jorgensen, the registry’s medical director.
In 2018, Delray Medical Center completed a trans carotid artery revascularization, performed by Dr. Joseph Ricotta. Since then, the hospital has been designated a TCAR Center of Excellence every year by Silk Road Medical, the manufacturer of the TCAR.
In 2020, Ricotta received the national TCAR Clinical Operator of Excellence distinction, also awarded by Silk Road Medical. He has been named a Castle Connolly “America’s Top Doctor” 13 years in a row and earned a position on Newsweek’s “America’s Best Vascular Surgeons 2024” list.
Send health news to Christine Davis at cdavis9797@gmail.com.
— Christine Davis
Comments