Findley, Ohio-based Blanchard Valley Health System is cutting its open-heart surgery program and will instead transfer patients to other systems as needed.
"Over the past decade, advances in medications, cardiovascular stenting, and minimally invasive procedures have reduced the need for performing traditional open-heart surgical procedures," it said in a Feb. 28 system news release. "With these advances, open-heart procedures have transitioned from emergent to predominantly elective procedures. As we prioritize delivering quality care for our patients, we will partner with other health systems to transition open-heart surgery cases diagnosed at Blanchard Valley Health System."
The system is also expanding cardiovascular services at its Jane & Gary Heminger HeartCare Center, including cardio-oncology, cardiac electrophysiology, cardiac imaging, and vascular care for the detection, diagnosis and intervention of cardiac disease.