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In October of 2020, consultant cardiothoracic surgeon Dr Pragnesh Joshi performed the first cardiac surgery at Perth’s Hollywood Private Hospital.
While much of the world was locked down in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the lack of community spread of the virus and the WA ‘bubble’ meant the new cardiothoracic unit at Hollywood had one of the highest caseloads of such services in the world.
Cardiothoracic services at Hollywood have continued to go from strength to strength since, and the team of cardiac surgeons, anaesthetists, perfusionists, nurses, physiotherapists, dietitians, and allied health professionals behind the service have recently celebrated its five-year anniversary.
While Hollywood has been delivering cardiovascular care to the community for more than 25 years, the launch of surgical services rapidly expanded heart and lung care capability for WA.
Dr Joshi has been involved with the service since its planning stages.
“Normally, you walk into the hospital, and everything is there for you to do the operation. Most of the hospitals were designed a few decades ago and when you work in a particular hospital, you identify that more could be done as you learn more over time,” he said.
“The advantage of the Hollywood was that we were able to consider everything from our past experiences to come up with a hospital that has everything included. This matters as the patient’s expectations and journey are more meaningful.”
RELATED: Hollywood Private Hospital invests in cardiac care with two new cath labs
The hospital offers four cardiac catheter labs featuring some of the most advanced medical imaging technologies in Australia, with construction of two additional labs underway – bringing the total to six, the most of any hospital in Western Australia.
Cardiothoracic services in numbers:
- 1464 cardiac surgeries carried out
- 67 robotic thoracic surgeries undertaken
- 11 coronary artery bypass using endoscopic vein harvesting
- 1193 pre-admission assessments
- 1154 phase one post-op reviews
- 743 cardiac rehabilitation completions
- 1145 Australia & New Zealand Society of Cardiac & Thoracic Surgeons (ANZSCTS) data entries
- <1% mortality rate
Leading services
Hollywood also boasts a 24/7 emergency department, interventional cardiology services, around-the-clock referral to cardiothoracic surgeons, a 24-hour acute chest pain service, and on-site coronary care and intensive care units.
Management has invested heavily, resulting in the hospital becoming a leading, comprehensive heart health facility.
It is one of the only centres in the Asia-Pacific region for training of advanced atrial fibrillation ablation surgeries and is a leader in the hybrid convergent procedure for atrial fibrillation – a complex, collaborative technique combining surgical and electrophysiological expertise.
The service has established itself as a leader in minimally invasive cardiac and thoracic surgery.
It has adopted minimally invasive extracorporeal circulation technology and, in 2023, the launch of the robotic thoracic surgery program opened a new chapter for the hospital, enhancing precision and recovery outcomes for thoracic patients.
Recently, the hospital has advanced into more complex cardiac procedures, including structural heart interventions such as transcatheter aortic valve implantation.
It was the first hospital in WA to provide endoscopic vein harvesting for coronary artery bypass grafting which is aimed at elimination of 20-30cm long incisions in legs.
Education and outreach have remained central to the team’s mission, with education evenings and multidisciplinary education and recovery programs reinforcing Hollywood’s commitment to shared learning and community health.
Dr Joshi said monthly multidisciplinary meetings allowed clinicians to learn from complicated and complex patient cases.
“Those who have not been exposed to some new treatments, they also get to learn and be inspired by other clinicians,” he said.
Since the hospital’s inception the team of cardiothoracic surgeons has expanded to include Dr Karim Slimani, Dr Sanjay Sharma, Dr Lucas Sanders, Dr Deepak Mehrotra and Dr Kaushal Rathore.
Patients at the heart
Almost 1500 cardiac surgeries have now been completed at Hollywood and with each procedure, patient journey is prioritised.
The hospital provides a wraparound service involving pre-admission interviews and comprehensive care during and after hospitalisation, with a unique cardiac rehab service on-site integrating dietitians, clinical nurse specialists, exercise physiologists, physiotherapists, and psychologists.
Plans are well underway for Hollywood’s Cardiology Day event in February, which will see around 200 GPs take part in interactive sessions with cardiologists and cardiothoracic surgeons.
A family atmosphere
Hollywood Hospital’s Head of Cardiology, Clinical Professor Rukshen Weerasooriya has enjoyed seeing Hollywood Private Hospital through from a concept to the patient-centred service it is now.
“What is unique about working at Hollywood, having worked at many hospitals around the state and around the world, is that it’s a family atmosphere here.
“Everyone knows everyone, we work collaboratively across different wards and across different areas like cath lab and theatre, and everyone has really taken cardiothoracic surgery and open heart surgery at Hollywood as a point of pride.
“They go the extra mile to look after patients, to look after the doctors, to help us to do a really good job. It’s been a really positive experience.
“I want to thank all of the staff in every ward area – theatre, intensive care, our step-down ward, our cardiology ward, our coronary care unit, our cath lab staff – they’ve all come along on the journey. They’ve all been extremely supportive, and without them, we couldn’t do it.
“I also want to thank all of the patients who have entrusted their care with us. It’s a big step to trust someone with your heart, that’s a huge leap of faith.”
Specialists interested in working at Hollywood Private Hospital can apply for accreditation on the hospital’s website.
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