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Celebrating a Half

Century of Heart

Surgery Success

Open heart surgery has been a surgeons expressed concerns “Today we may be stenting one or and non-cardio doctors”Wu says.
Lehigh Valley Health Network about losing access to operating two [clogged arteries] as opposed to “There’s better direction.”
stronghold for half a century.Clearly rooms for their own work, and bypassing three or four,”JamesWu,
much has changed since Antonio some insurers threatened to refuse MD,Chief,Division of Cardiothoracic The Heart Institute provides the
Panebianco, MD, performed the reimbursements. Surgery, says. region’s largest team of board-
Lehigh Valley’s first open-heart Panebianco appealed to Clifford The advances are making once- certified, advanced heart failure
surgery, a coronary bypass at the Trexler, MD, then chief of surgery at complex heart surgeries routine. specialists as well as the latest
former Allentown Hospital, 17th Allentown Hospital, who allowed That creates opportunities to do heart support devices to care for
and Chew Streets, in April 1970. the heart surgeons to use his OR. much more advanced procedures, patients with complex heart disease.
Still, the magical core of this Panebianco got his medical degree helping patients who previously “Today,” Freudenberger says,“we
life-saving craft – human hands in Catania, Sicily, and knewTrexler were not candidates for heart are one of the largest programs
repairing another human’s heart had served on the Italian island temperature and potassium to surgery. for heart attacks in the country.”
by passing a clogged artery – during World War II. stop the heart while the surgeon “Today we can help patients who
remains at the center of a flurry Soon support grew.An open-heart severed and reattached critical are much sicker, with much more What’s ahead in heart
of technological, medicinal and surgery program was launched in blood vessels – literally bypassing complex diseases,” Freudenberger surgery
procedural options that makeup 1974 in SalisburyTownship at what clogged ones. Soon heart-lung says, such as people with diabetes Wu offered several reasons to
the once unthinkable routine. became Lehigh Valley Hospital machines were used to keep the or kidney problems. “Those remain optimistic about the future
patient’s blood oxygenated and
“The advances have been Center and is now Lehigh Valley moving during the procedure. conditions make a heart bypass of LVHN heart surgery:
quite incredible,” says Ronald Hospital (LVH)-Cedar Crest. much more risky, but they are • New technologies will
Freudenberger, MD, Physician A better technique Today refinements to heart-lung precisely the people who have
in Chief of Lehigh Valley Heart machines reduce the risk of the best outcomes.” continue to transform
Institute, which opened in 2018. Panebianco also used his Sicilian dangerous clots and disastrous LVHN offers heart surgery at difficult operations into
“The outcomes are much better. ties to hone his craft,spending three strokes after the procedure. And Lehigh Valley Hospital–Cedar easier procedures.
But the basics of bypass surgery days at the Cleveland Clinic with with those advancements and the Crest, LVH–Muhlenberg and LVH– •The population in the
are really similar.” Rene Favaloro, MD, a renowned many options they offer come a Pocono facilities. LVH–Cedar Crest
heart bypass surgeon and the team of specialists unimagined Lehigh Valley will grow,
The Heart Institute, a collaborative grandson of Sicilians on his father’s 50 years ago. is the busiest hub, Freudenberger services are available for
resource Panebianco dared not side. Favaloro is credited with, in says, while LVH–Muhlenberg and these needs.
even dream about in the early 1967, the nation’s first planned “Now there’s an entire field of LVH–Pocono each do about 100
‘70s, when many scoffed at the heart bypass surgery. perfusionists who run [heart- bypasses annually. • LVHN will continue to
lung machines, monitoring key
idea of offering heart surgery in Even before LVHN merged offer a greater variety
the Lehigh Valley as being costly Cleveland Clinic surgeons used metrics] while the surgeon does with nearby smaller hospitals, of services.
the bypass,” Freudenberger says.
and duplicating services found in internal mammary artery grafts Freudenberger says, the Heart Freudenberger says one of the
Philadelphia, now celebrates five rather than saphenous (leg) vein Protocols for post-op exercise also Institute “worked very hard” biggest changes in cardiac surgery
decades and counting of success. grafts for bypasses because those are markedly different. to be sure providers sending
arteries better resist the plaque is being able to do more without
In many ways the best is yet to buildup that leads to atherosclerosis. “Bypass surgery patients today heart patients for care had the opening the chest.
come. Panebianco used the mammary are discharged in as little as three proper heart failure protocols and That’s a far cry from the early days
emergency standards in place.
In the beginning artery technique in Allentown. or four days,” Freudenberger says. Creating the Lehigh Valley Heart pioneered locally by Panebianco,
“In the old days, they may have
“In my family there was history Panebianco himself couldn’t escape stayed in the hospital for weeks. Institute three years ago cemented when access was gained by cutting
of heart disease on my mom’s his bad genes.In 1978 he underwent And these days it’s: [Get] up and a team effort that involves eight the sternum (breastbone) and
side,” he says.All but one of her open-heart surgery, and in 1988 walking as soon as possible. Back cardiothoracic surgeons and more spreading open the ribs.
six brothers died in their 50s, and needed a second one. In between then it was: Stay in bed.” than 60 cardiologists.
the survivor (who lived to 67) Panebianco did open-heart surgery Saving lives with — and “With TAVR, we can replace and The Morning Call
encouraged Panebianco’s interest on his brother, who today is 85. without — surgery “We became a Heart Institute fix valves without opening the
to put the cardiologists and the
in the field. Panebianco retired in 2012 after cardiac surgeons in the same chest. We had no ability to do
“There were a lot of problems in doing 5,000 open-heart surgeries The option of sliding a balloon place,” Freudenberger says.“We that 10 years ago,” Freudenberger |
catheter to install a metal or plastic
trying to get the program going,” Evolution of Heart tube called a stent into a partially all share the same outcomes. says. “That allows us to care for
says Panebianco, now 84 and no Surgery blocked artery to improve blood flow Cardiologists work from inside people who may not be able to
longer practicing. the blood vessel; surgeons work withstand open heart surgery.”
In Panebianco’s early days, each now lessens the number of routine
Philadelphia heart surgeons feared surgery had the potential to be bypass surgeries.Panebianco’s older from outside.” And that means continuing LVHN’s Thursday, April 8, 2021
losing LehighValley patient referrals, groundbreaking. Medical teams brother had one added years after “We are more organized and proud tradition of savings lives by
he says, other Allentown Hospital used hypothermia to lower body his own bypass surgery. collaborative between surgeons saving hearts.
LVHN.ORG | 888-402-LVHN (5846)
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