Heart specialists at the Washington University and Barnes-Jewish Heart & Vascular Center were the first in Missouri to implant a subcutaneous implantable cardioverter defibrillator (S-ICD) into a patient during a procedure that took place on Friday, Nov. 29. Unlike the traditional ICD used to help treat arrhythmias such as tachycardia, the S-ICD does not place wires inside the heart or blood vessels.

The Washington University and Barnes-Jewish lung transplant program recently reached another milestone when surgeons performed the 1,300th adult lung transplant. The lung transplant program is one of the largest in the world and renowned for its excellent patient outcomes, which equal or surpass national standards.

Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College was recently presented with the “Best School of Nursing for Men” award by the American Assembly for Men in Nursing.

An innovative program implemented three years ago at Barnes-Jewish Hospital is helping prevent bedside nurses from leaving direct patient care due to a condition known as “compassion fatigue.” Among the employees surveyed after attending a course designed at combating compassion fatigue, high risk for burnout was cut in half and high risk for secondary trauma dropped by a third.

A device approved today by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) to treat leaky mitral valves was first used in this region as part of a clinical trial at the Washington University and Barnes-Jewish Heart & Vascular Center. This new non-surgical alternative for mitral valve repair, which involves using a small clip, offers hope to the more than four million Americans with leaky mitral valves.