Download Happy Heart Month! - HeartCare Midwest

New Doctors Bring Changes
to the EP Program
There are many organs of the body vital
to our survival. But when we think of the
lifeblood of our bodies-what really keeps
us going-we generally think of one thing.
Our heart. This word- heart -gets thrown
around a lot these days. If someone
is said to have a good heart, it does
not necessarily mean they have good
cholesterol, but that they possess a true
caring spirit. In this month, dedicated to
matters of the heart, we take a closer look
at a very specialized program here at OSF
Saint Francis Medical and the staff who
are committed to caring for this organ.
2
Our story begins in 1986, with a young
doctor and a new program. Dr. Joseph
Sarmiento III, a cardiac electrophysiologist
(EP), was recruited by cardiovascular
medicine to join a team of five heart
surgeons looking to grow the heart
program. An electrophysiologist is a
cardiac specialist specifically trained
for diagnosing and treating electrical
problems of the heart. As the only EP
physician at the time, Dr. Sarmiento
introduced new technologies and
procedures to the program, but it wasn’t
until Dr. Robert Bauernfeind joined him in
1991 that the program began to develop
more momentum.
Dr. Bauernfeind trained under
Kenneth Rosen, a legend in the field
of electrophysiology. In the early days
of ablation, a procedure used to treat
abnormal rhythms of the heart, EP
physicians spent eight hours in the
operating room.
“We didn’t have the mapping technology
we do today,” says Dr. Sarmiento.
“Compared to the technology and services
we have available today, the early stages
of the EP program were primitive.”
Enter two new characters to the story,
Dr. Timir Baman and Dr. David Charles.
These two cardiac electrophysiologists
joined HeartCare Midwest in the summer
of 2011. With their addition to the team
came two new procedures to the program.
Dr. Charles has been trained to perform
lead extractions, the removal of a dead
pacemaker wire using a laser electrode.
Dr. Baman brings knowledge of atrial
fibrillation ablations. This procedure aims
to break the conduction channels causing
irregular heart rhythm.
“Prior to the arrival of these physicians, we
had to refer these procedures to Chicago
or elsewhere,” says Delmar Smith,
Director of Cardiovascular Operative and
Invasive Services.
Dr. Baman has
already performed more than
20 procedures since joining the program
in July. Dr. Charles will begin lead
extractions in late March.
“This program has become so dynamic
given the wealth and knowledge of our
staff and the care and service we provide,”
says Delmar.
The program will also be getting a new lab
this summer. This will allow the physicians
to have more space to see patients and
perform these much needed procedures.
In the midst of this growth, the EP
team did lose one valuable asset.
Dr. Bauernfeind recently retired from
the program he helped to shape.
“I wouldn’t have been able to develop the
program without him,” says Dr. Sarmiento.
“His knowledge and experience have been
invaluable to the team for many years.”
It is difficult to ignore the connection
between the emotional bonds of the heart,
and the physical health of this organ.
But to the EP physicians at OSF Saint
Francis, this is more than just an organ.
Happy Heart Month!
Back left to right: Carrie Hoefling (EP Tech), John Goddard,
RN, Alice Payne (EP Tech), Frank Zupancic, RN, Candi
Braun (RT/EP Tech), Renee Trammell (RT/EP Tech).
Front left to right: Cardiac Electrophysiologists Dr. David
Charles, Dr. Joseph Sarmiento, and Dr. Timir Baman