Hospital sets record for number of heart surgeries in year

SARASOTA — Sarasota Memorial Hospital announced that its heart team performed its 1000th surgery in September — a record for the number of surgical heart procedures performed at the hospital in a year. 

According to a press release, the hospital also achieved the highest quality ranking possible for adult heart surgeries from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons.

“To achieve these kinds of results demonstrates not only organizational commitment but also a strong collaboration and respect among SMH’s surgeons and cardiologists,” says SMH CEO David Verinder in the statement. 

In 2012, the hospital partnered with Columbia University Medical Center in New York to help build its cardiac care program and recruit a chief of cardiovascular surgery. Sarasota Memorial recruited Dr. Jeffrey Sell in 2013 to serve as its chief of cardiovascular surgery. Sell helped recruit two more cardiac surgeons and expand the team's specialty services, the release adds. 

The five-surgeon team treats a range of conditions. Subspecialties range from coronary bypass and arrhythmia treatment to aortic valve replacement, mitral valve replacement and repair, and adult congenital heart surgery. 

With Sell at the helm, cardiac surgery volumes increased 15% to 20% each year, say SMH officials. Annual volumes have more than doubled since 2012, from 393 that year to 1,015 in the fiscal year ending Sept. 30.

Sarasota Memorial Health Care System is a regional referral center with more than 900,000 patient visits a year. Sarasota Memorial has a 829-bed acute care hospital.