Lehigh Valley Heart and Vascular Institute Archives

Lehigh Valley Heart and Vascular Institute names SVP

Allen Boxbaum has been named senior vice president of Lehigh Valley Heart and Vascular Institute, Allentown, after a national search by Lehigh Valley Health Network.

Boxbaum and Dr. Ronald Freudenberger, physician in chief, will lead Lehigh Valley Health Network’s heart and vascular services.

Allen and Freudenberger will build upon Lehigh Valley Heart and Vascular Institute’s success by growing new sites and relationships, driving exceptional clinical quality and providing an exceptional patient experience, the network said.

“After working with Allen over the past couple of years, we have seen his dedication, passion and commitment to quality,” Freudenberger said. “He is the perfect fit for our new leadership model, and we are delighted that he will be joining Lehigh Valley Heart and Vascular Institute as its new senior vice president.”

In his previous role with LVHN, Boxbaum served as vice president of operations, Lehigh Valley Physician Group (LVPG). During his tenure, he had oversight of heart and vascular practices, women’s health, surgery and previously primary care service lines.

Prior to joining LVHN, Boxbaum served as vice president of Cardiovascular Services for Barnabas Health and vice president of Cardiovascular Services for the former Catholic Health East system in western New York.

Boxbaum earned his MBA from Rochester Institute of Technology and his master’s degree in audiology from Syracuse University. He began his career as a practicing audiologist before shifting into management roles.

Boxbaum is a member of the American College of Health Care Executives and the American College of Cardiology Administrators Division.

Lehigh Valley Heart and Vascular Institute tests new lead for heart care

Lehigh Valley Heart and Vascular Institute is one of about 50 sites worldwide, and the only Pennsylvania site involved in a clinical trial for ventricular tachycardia (VT).

Dr. Babak Bozorgnia, cardiologist PHOTO/PROVIDED –

The trial will evaluate the use of an investigational, catheter-delivered lead in adult patients who have previously experienced, or are at significant risk for developing, life-threatening ventricular tachycardia (VT), the hospital said.

Cardiologist Babak Bozorgnia, of Lehigh Valley Heart and Vascular Institute, was one of the first cardiologists in the U.S. to take part in the trial.

VT is an arrhythmia – an abnormal rhythm – in the lower chambers of the heart. It occurs when your heart beats too fast – more than 100 beats per minute – which can affect the flow of oxygen-rich blood to the rest of your body, the hospital said. It’s an important cause of sudden death and occurs most commonly in those with preexisting structural heart disease.

Symptoms include dizziness, shortness of breath, lightheadedness, palpitations and chest pain.

The Lead Evaluation for Defibrillation and Reliability (LEADR) clinical trial sponsored by Medtronic will pair the lead with commercially available Medtronic defibrillators. The trial is investigational because the catheter-based lead is not yet approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The trial is expected to last about 18 months.

Dr. Ronald Freudenberger, physician in chief at Lehigh Valley Heart and Vascular Institute – PHOTO/PROVIDED

“We’re pleased to be part of this important clinical study exploring an innovative approach for helping our patients,” said Dr. Ronald Freudenberger, physician in chief, Lehigh Valley Heart and Vascular Institute. “It’s important to keep driving research for patients suffering from arrhythmias, and we are optimistic about seeing the results of the LEADR study and its potential impact on treatment options.”

Patients with VT often receive an implantable cardiac defibrillator (ICD) or cardiac resynchronization therapy-defibrillator (CRT-D) to interrupt or terminate dangerous, racing rhythms, the hospital said.

In the study, a thin wire, called a lead, is threaded through the veins, and connects the device to the heart muscle. The lead senses the heart’s electrical signals, and transmits that information to the device, which detects rapid, potentially life-threatening heartbeats. If a dangerous heart rhythm is detected, the device quickly delivers therapy, in the form of painless pacing pulses or an electrical shock to the heart, to restore a normal rhythm.

According to Medtronic, the novelty of the defibrillation lead under study is that it is threaded through the veins and into the heart through a catheter, which helps with placing the lead.

Gene therapy trial could provide relief for chronic chest pain

Lehigh Valley Heart and Vascular Institute is participating in a new gene therapy trial designed to provide relief for those with chronic chest pain.

“This represents one of the most innovative types of research ongoing in cardiac care today,” said Dr. Ronald Freudenberger, physician in chief at Lehigh Valley Heart and Vascular Institute. “Being involved on the ground floor of developing these types of novel therapies is part of our mission and I think the fact that we’ve been asked to participate recognizes our excellence in research and clinical care.”

Lehigh Valley Heart and Vascular Institute is one of just 16 sites participating in the study by XyloCor Therapeutics. For those with refractory angina, or chest pain – people who have exhausted their treatment options, such as medication, stents and bypass surgery – there may be hope in the form of a new gene therapy.

The gene therapy looks to prompt heart muscle cells to produce more of a naturally occurring protein called human vascular endothelial growth factor, or VEGF. According to XyloCor, the increased VEGF is designed to lead to the formation of new blood vessels in the heart that would bypass diseased blood vessels and increase blood flow.

The trial will see how well the heart creates new pathways for blood and the oxygen it carries to reach heart muscles, allowing the supply to meet the demand from exertion, according to the institute. When blood supply is inadequate and doesn’t match the demand from the heart, the result can be chest pain called angina. Blood supply is often not up to par because of coronary artery disease, the build-up of plaque inside blood vessels that can restrict blood flow.

In the trial, a heart surgeon injects the investigational gene therapy product directly into the heart muscle. It’s done by using an altered adenovirus that includes the VEGF gene. The altered adenovirus, also called a vector, doesn’t reproduce and isn’t harmful. The same adenovirus delivery method is used in other ways, including in some vaccines.

“The hope is that the patient’s own heart cells will create more VEGF in a process called gene transfer. It would be an incredible advance if we can show that it works,” said Freudenberger.

Lehigh Valley Heart and Vascular Institute offers noninvasive heart test

Lehigh Valley Heart and Vascular Institute cardiologist Dr. Talha Nazir is one of the first in Pennsylvania to use a new noninvasive, single-use, disposable vest to map a patient’s irregular heart rhythms.

The multi-electrode CardioInsight mapping vest from Medtronic gathers data from the heart’s electrical system at the body’s surface. This data, combined with imaging technology, provides three-dimensional electroanatomic maps of the heart to arm clinicians with the information for the most accurate care, according to Lehigh Valley Health Network.

Cardiac mapping – typically accomplished by inserting a catheter into the heart via an artery or vein – allows physicians to locate the origin of a patient’s irregular heart rhythms, known as arrhythmias.

“Using leading-edge technology like the mapping vest allows us to get superior results without subjecting the patient to an invasive procedure,” said Nazir. “It allows us to get the data we need without additional risk.”

The CardioInsight system can be used to map a wide range of irregular heart rhythms in the upper and lower chambers of the heart. A 252-electrode sensor vest is worn by the patient, which pairs body surface electrical data with heart-torso anatomy, he said.

The noninvasive technology creates the electroanatomic maps of the heart by collecting electrocardiogram (ECG) signals from the chest and combining them with data from a computed tomography (CT) scan of the heart. The cardiac maps can be created by capturing a single heartbeat and enable rapid heart rhythm mapping.

Arrhythmias are abnormal heart beats caused by changes in the normal electrical impulses of the heart. They can be life-threatening. Atrial fibrillation, or AFib, is the most common form of arrythmia.

Dr. Ronald Freudenberger, physician in chief, Lehigh Valley Heart and Vascular Institute, said employing technology such as the mapping vest is a hallmark of Lehigh Valley Health Network’s (LVHN) continued drive for innovation that benefits and elevates patient care.

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