Scenes from Surgery

This past week, the OR team has collaborated to perform nine open heart surgeries, including tricuspid, mitral and aortic valve replacements. On Thursday, the team will complete two more cases, operating on 11 Rwandan patients total on Team Heart's inaugural mission.

Clockwise from top left, after surgery, patient Velaste holds up the box that contained his new mitral biocor valve donated by St. Jude Medical; surgical technologist Jenn Loayza; Luigi Nascimben, MD, with patient Jean-Paul; Vlad Formanek, MD, (at right) and Radhika Dinavahi, MD; and John Connell, MD, (left) and Chip Bolman, MD.

Team Heart Nurses: Caring and Curing

The Team Heart nurses in the intensive care unit and step-down ward are making sure that patients get the very best and safest care. Simultaneously, our nurses are ensuring that King Faisal Hospital nurses are learning about care for patients after open heart surgery.

Team Heart nurses include, clockwise from top, Lisa Kelley, RN, admitting a patient to the ICU; Pavel Nelyubin, RN, nurse in-charge with patient Jean-Paul and King Faisal nurse Rosine Uwavutse; Kayla Quinn, RN, with Jean-Paul and his wife; Denise Ricci, RN, with Celestin; and Marie Caulfield, RN, with Djuma.