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Oregon Health & Science University is losing another cardiology specialist – the fifth resignation in a month and the first since the Portland Research Hospital suspended its heart transplant program.
The heart transplant team is made up of surgeons who perform transplants and cardiologists who take care of patients afterwards. Dr. Jai Raman is one of three surgeons in the team.
He follows the four cardiologists – one who left earlier this summer and three who will be before the end of September. These departures prompted the OHSU to indefinitely suspend the heart transplant program last week and order a review of the program by external consultants.
According to an internal memorandum obtained by The Oregonian / OregonLive, the Providence Heart Institute on Friday told its team of heart failure specialists that not all patients in the OHSU group would be on the waiting list.
OHSU has not commented on what is expected of the rest of the program. Previously, OHSU officials said the cardiac team would continue to take care of all other patients who did not suffer from advanced heart failure.
"These patients are vulnerable and we all know how important stability is in a care team," said a note signed by Dr. Dan Oseran, Executive Medical Director of the Providence Heart Institute, and Jennifer Zelensky, Providence Heart Executive Director. Institute.
In a letter to patients, signed by Dr. James Mudd – one of the cardiologists departing from the OHSU – and the Providence Medical Director, Dr. Jacob Abraham, said that patients who have devices Ventricular assist will now be served in Providence. The devices are used to replace the functions of a heart and often signal that a patient will eventually need a replacement heart.
Providence employs nine heart failure specialists, including Dr. Jill Gelow, who was the first cardiologist to leave the OSHU transplant program.
The 20 patients on the Oregon waiting list have been transferred to lists in Seattle or San Francisco. Some chose not to transfer.
OHSU has promised to be transparent about the results of the external review of its heart transplant program and the changes made later. In the meantime, officials say they continue to recruit new cardiologists into the program.
– Molly Harbarger
[email protected]
503-294-5923
@ MollyHarbarger
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