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St. Joseph’s Hospital expands heart, lung care
By Rebecca Bostic, The Catholic Sun
January 17, 2008
St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center opened an eight-story tower Jan. 13 to better serve heart and lung patients with cutting-edge technology.
The Heart and Lung Tower provides space for four surgical suites — two for cardiovascular purposes and two for thoracic surgery — and a 16 bed cardiothoracic intensive care unit.
“It’s very important that we are continuing to grow as our community grows,” said Lisa Kelly, clinical director of cardiothoracic services.
Eighteen patient beds are available on a floor dedicated to thoracic and lung transplant patients, while the same number of beds is available on a different floor for cardiovascular and cardiology patients.
Beyond expanding the operating room capacity, the renovation also “allows us to have nursing floors that are dedicated to specific disease states,” Kelly said. “That allows us to have a very aggressive multidisciplinary approach for thoracic patients and for cardiac patients.”
The $15 million construction project, which refurbished the tower on the existing campus, took a year to complete. According to Kelly, the tower was stripped to the bare walls prior to being redesigned and reconstructed.
Dr. Lishan Aklog, chief of cardiovascular surgery, is especially excited about the tower’s high-level technology.
High-definition video recording of operating suites and procedure rooms, along with Internet streaming capabilities, are just a couple of the many amenities Aklog believes will improve the hospital’s service.
“This will be beneficial both to our patients, but also a big part of our mission includes education,” Aklog said.
In the formerly cramped cardiovascular quarters, bringing in surgeons from across the country to learn the new techniques was difficult. The space and technology in the new tower will enhance the teaching potential of the hospital.
“We just completed our 11th lung transplant here at St. Joseph’s,” Kelly said. “We will continue on that path to become one of the premier cardiac and pulmonary centers in Arizona.”
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