CIS Saves Hearts and Lives in South Louisiana

… 35 YEARS RUNNING

BY CASEY GISCLAIR

Heart disease is the No. 1 killer in Louisiana, according to statistics provided by Well Ahead LA. The same study says that more than 29 Louisiana residents die of heart disease each day. When multiplied by the 365 days per year, the total balloons to more than 10,000 deaths per year — a number which ranks our state near the bottom of national averages for heart disease mortality.

But locally, we’re beginning to fight back.

Thanks to statistics provided by the Center for Disease Control, we now see that Louisiana’s heart disease death rates have dropped significantly in the past 35 years — all in areas that have been served by the Cardiovascular Institute of the South (CIS).

Open since 1983, CIS has made an impact to locals in need, saving the lives of thousands of patients by staying up to date on the latest, best, most innovative technologies in the constantly-changing world of medicine.

CIS now has 60 physicians, 700 team members and 22 locations (several of which are in the Tri-parish area) — an amazing feat considering that it started as a one-man practice under the leadership of Dr. Craig Walker in Houma.

The business will celebrate its 35th anniversary on Aug. 15, 2018 — a feat that Dr. Walker said is a huge source of pride for he and his team, who vow to enjoy continued successes into the future.

“Our greatest accomplishment has been that we have dramatically improved cardiovascular outcomes in each of the areas where we have established practices and this is confirmed by national statistics,” said Dr. Walker, who is the founder, president and medical director at CIS. “We have now treated patients from every inhabited continent and from every U.S. state, which is far beyond our early dreams.”

Dr. Walker started this mission with a clear focus. He wanted to provide state-of-the-art cardiac and peripheral vascular care to a South Central Louisiana area that needed it.

While doing that, he also wanted to provide comforts to patients during their stressful time.

“From day one, I strove to provide the best possible care with a personal touch,” Dr. Walker explains. “Over the years, this meant that we had to build a program from the ground-up by establishing a cardiac catheterization lab and a critical care unit. We also became involved with Nicholls State University to train nurses and allied health professionals, and we concentrated on community education and early detection programs.”

This “plan” has worked wonders.

CIS has significantly contributed to the advancement and development of non-surgical treatments for cardiovascular disease. The procedures are minimally-invasive and place patients at much lower risk than would a surgery.

Recovery time is shorter, as well.

In addition to this, CIS has also received international acclaim as a leader of research and development by participating in clinical research trials. CIS physicians serve as clinical investigators for many new and innovative medical devices and they frequently share their knowledge by lecturing across the country on new techniques and methods for treating both cardiovascular and peripheral vascular disease.

Dr. Walker, himself, is active in this. He has visited China annually for the past 9 years to offer physician training on interventional treatments for peripheral arterial disease (PAD) and limb salvage. He also hosts a China mentorship program, which welcomes physicians in that nation to the United States to learn new, innovative techniques so that they can return home and share the knowledge with their colleagues.

In 1988, CIS was one of 10 sites chosen to participate in the first peripheral stent trial in the United States. They also participated in the first coronary stent trial in 1989.

More recently, CIS was one of the first four sites to utilize a new, minimally-invasive device to treat PAD — an always-growing list of examples of the “firsts” that CIS has pioneered.

“From the beginning, we sought out new techniques and helped to develop techniques to better care for our patients,” Dr. Walker said. “Our physicians have been awarded academic positions and have been asked to lecture and teach around the world. We have also worked with the youth of our area who aspire to receive medical education to help them achieve their dreams and to hopefully encourage them to give back to our communities. This will ensure that our dream lives on.”

CIS saves limbs, too.

Dr. Walker founded New Cardiovascular Horizons, a multi specialty conference which focuses on limb salvage and amputation prevention techniques for patients who are suffering with PAD and critical limb ischemia (CLI). The conference attracts world authorities and international attendees with a common goal — to improve care for patients through the use of cutting-edge technology and techniques.

Dr. Walker said he’s committed to continued education and PAD prevention and interventional treatments to save limbs and lives.

“PAD affects 20 million Americans, which is far more than breast cancer,” Dr. Walker said. “It is associated with a higher mortality rate. We must raise awareness for prevention and treatment to profoundly lessen the need for amputations and we need to improve the level of care we provide for our patients — both locally and internationally.”

In addition to all its successes, CIS’s immediate future is bright, as well.

CIS takes pride in leading the region in technological advancements and their recently-established Virtual Care Center enhances care options for patients by providing unique programs, such as the CIS OnDemand call center, Telecardiology, Cardio@Home remote patient monitoring and CardioConnect, a mobile app and patient portal. All of these programs feature state-of-the-art technology, increasing access to care and improving outcomes, while enhancing communication between patient and provider in their time of care.

CIS continues to grow and has eyes on expansion to more locations so that they can continue to make the most advanced cardiovascular care accessible to a variety of communities.

“I take great pride in the fact that CIS has grown into one of the largest and most comprehensive cardiovascular programs anywhere in the world,” Dr. Walker said.•