Surgeons at the Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute of Northwestern Memorial Hospital are the first in Illinois to utilize an innovative technology that helps confirm the success of a Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG) before they leave the operating room, avoiding the need for repeat heart surgeries and reducing complications. The new technology, Intra-operative Imaging (SPY�) System, is the first and only fluorescent imaging system cleared by the Food and Drug Administration for use in coronary artery bypass surgery, the most common open-heart surgery in the country with approximately 400,000 patients undergoing the procedure each year.

"For the first time, this technology provides a simple way of getting pictures immediately during the operation to verify that blood is flowing properly through the newly created vessels," explains Edwin McGee, MD, surgical director, Advanced Heart Failure Program, Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute of Northwestern Memorial Hospital. "This enables us to make corrections if necessary before the patient leaves the operating room."

Use of the SPY System may potentially reduce the number of patients that must return to the operating room to repair improperly functioning or potentially misplaced grafts. Estimates show that between five and 13 percent of bypasses fail, causing the patient to undergo a corrective procedure or repeated bypass operation.

"The SPY System reassures us - as surgeons - that we have done what we came into the operating room to do, and it provides patients with the assurance they have received the highest quality bypass possible," said Dr. McGee.

In only a few minutes during the surgery, the SPY System can provide similar to what information is gathered during an X-ray angiogram, a procedure hailed as the gold standard for visualizing coronary artery blockages. Contrary to the SPY System, however, an angiogram uses X-rays and a contrast dye that is injected into the heart. The procedure is typically performed after surgery, when a surgeon suspects a complication.

The SPY System uses a fluorescent imaging agent that is injected into the bloodstream and emits light when stimulated by an infrared laser. The technique does not heat up heart tissue and does not pose any risk to the patient or staff in the operating room. The injected agent lights up blood flowing through the veins and arteries in real time, and the camera captures live images of the heart. These images can also be saved to a computer screen, saved and printed for medical reference.

About Northwestern Memorial Hospital

Northwestern Memorial Hospital is one of the country's premier academic medical centers and is the primary teaching hospital of Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine. Northwestern Memorial and its Prentice Women's Hospital and Stone Institute of Psychiatry have 744 beds and more than 1,400 affiliated physicians and 5,000 employees. Providing state-of-the-art care, Northwestern Memorial is recognized for its outstanding clinical and surgical advancements in such areas as cardiothoracic and vascular care, gastroenterology, neurology and neurosurgery, oncology, organ and bone marrow transplantation and women's health.

Northwestern Memorial was the sole recipient of the prestigious 2005 National Quality Health Care Award and eight of its medical specialties are listed in this year's U.S. News & World Report's issue of "America's Best Hospitals." The hospital also has been cited as one of the "100 Best Companies for Working Mothers" by Working Mother magazine six consecutive years and has been chosen by Chicago-area consumers for more than a decade as their "most preferred hospital" in National Research Corporation's annual survey.

About the Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute

The Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute at Northwestern Memorial Hospital is a world-class heart program offering comprehensive services and state-of-the-art surgical treatments in all areas of cardiovascular care. Recently named by Solucient, an industry-leading healthcare information provider, as the only Chicago hospital on its list of the country's 100 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals, Northwestern Memorial Hospital offers a timely response to referrals and a multidisciplinary approach that joins physicians, nurses and a range of other medical specialists and caregivers from Cardiology, Cardiac Surgery, Vascular Surgery, Cardiovascular Anesthesiology and Radiology from evaluation to follow-up. Patients benefit from the latest minimally invasive surgical techniques and are offered the opportunity to participate in a range of clinical research trials.

Advanced Cardiovascular Care

Patients referred to the Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute experience a healthcare environment in which the most advanced diagnostic and treatment options are supported by state-of-the-art technology and a commitment to medical excellence through research. Expertise is available in all areas of cardiovascular care, including:

Cardiac Surgery

-- Valve repair and replacement
-- MAZE and atrial fibrillation ablation procedures
-- Coronary artery bypass with arterial conduits
-- LV and aortic aneurysm repair
-- Congestive heart failure surgery
-- Ventricular assist devices
-- Heart transplantation Vascular Surgery
-- Thoracic and abdominal aortic aneurysm surgery
-- Carotid endarterectomy and stents
-- Endovascular surgery for aortic aneurysms and limb salvage
-- Lower extremity bypass procedures
-- Uncommon mesenteric and upper extremity revascularization
-- Supraaortic trunk revascularization

Cardiology

-- Primary and secondary prevention
-- Advanced diagnostic testing including echocardiography, nuclear cardiology, cardiac MRI and computed tomography
-- Cardiac electrophysiology, including diagnostic EP procedures, catheter ablation and pacemaker and ICD implantation
-- Heart failure management
-- Evaluation of heart valve disease
-- Acute coronary care
-- Diagnostic catheterization and interventional cardiology
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