Growing Cardiovascular Care Program At Saint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute Has New Medical Director

Michelle M. Haines, M.D., to head cardiovascular intensive care unit at Saint Luke's, which provides high-level care for cardio-thoracic patients following surgery

KANSAS CITY, Mo., March 7, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Michelle M. Haines, M.D., has been appointed medical director for the cardiovascular intensive care unit (CVICU) at Saint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute.

She replaces Randall Hudson, M.D., who pioneered the concept of dedicated critical care of the postoperative cardiac surgery patient and served as medical director of the cardiovascular intensive care unit since 2000.

In this role, Dr. Haines provides clinical leadership for the growing cardiovascular critical care program which manages not only the recovery of patients undergoing routine cardiovascular and thoracic procedures, but those patients requiring heart and liver transplant, ventricular assist, and extra corporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), a life support system for patients with severely damaged lungs or hearts.

"Dr. Haines brings a depth of experience in critical care medicine," said Michael Borkon, M.D., co-executive director for the Saint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute and director of cardiovascular surgery. "She is perfectly positioned to assume leadership for this expert team of highly trained specialists who care for some of our most critically ill patients. At the same time we are grateful to Dr. Hudson for his many years of dedicated leadership contributions that have made this program a preeminent one in the region."

The CVICU is designed for the care of postoperative cardiac and thoracic surgery patients and provides 24/7 coverage by a sophisticated team of dedicated critical care experts. The proactive team's constant vigilance allows them to anticipate, detect, and manage problems immediately, affording patients a chance at the best possible outcome.

Dr. Haines joined Saint Luke's in 2008 as a critical care medicine specialist. She received her medical degree at the University of Kansas School of Medicine, and completed a residency in anesthesiology at Saint Luke's Hospital through the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) School of Medicine. She completed fellowship training in critical care medicine at the Washington University/Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, Mo.

In addition to her new role, Dr. Haines also serves as co-director of the hospital's ECMO program, and is director of the liver transplant anesthesia program. Active in the community, Dr. Haines is an assistant clinical professor of anesthesiology and serves on boards at UMKC's medical school. She is secretary of the Metropolitan Medical Society, and a volunteer physician at the Kansas City Free Health Clinic.

About Saint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute
Saint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute, a member of Saint Luke's Health System and a teaching affiliate of the University of Missouri-Kansas City, is one of the preeminent cardiovascular programs in the country. Its legacy of innovation began more than 25 years ago when it opened as the nation's first heart hospital. Since then, the Heart Institute has earned a world-wide reputation for excellence in the treatment of heart disease, including interventional cardiology, cardiovascular surgery, imaging, heart failure, transplant, heart disease prevention, women's heart disease, electrophysiology, outcomes research, and health economics. With more than 50 full-time board certified cardiovascular specialists on staff, the Heart Institute offers one of the largest heart failure/heart transplant programs in the country, has the largest experience with transcatheter aortic valve replacement in the Midwest, and is a global teaching site for the newest approaches to opening challenging blocked arteries using minimally invasive techniques.

SOURCE Saint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute