The Cardiac Prevention and Rehabilitation Center, a division of the Heart and Vascular Hospital at Hackensack Meridian Health Hackensack University Medical Center, celebrated the 20th anniversary of its annual “Cardiac Rehab Persons of the Year” awards on February 17. The awards recognize the efforts of patients who have achieved the most significant progress in changing their risk factors for heart disease, including losing weight, managing blood pressure and cholesterol, controlling blood sugar through diet and exercise, managing stress, and staying optimistic.
This year’s recipient of the Barbara Bannan Rehabilitation Person of the Year Award was Karen Kutlick, 70, of Oakland, New Jersey. She participated in cardiac rehabilitation after spending 10 days in the intensive care unit in the summer of 2022 for gastrointestinal bleeding related to the blood thinners she was taking after she had a cardiac catheterization for blocked coronary arteries.
Manoj “Max” Bhavnani, 48, of Guttenberg received the Ed Wheat Rehabilitation Person of the Year Award. After sustaining a heart attack while running on a treadmill, he had a triple bypass in March of 2022 and started cardiac rehabilitation the following month. Both patients made significant progress in their levels of fitness through cardiac rehab and were able to tolerate more intensive exercise, which improves heart health and reduces the risk of death.
Hackensack University Medical Center’s Cardiac Prevention and Rehabilitation Center team includes registered nurses with critical care experience, exercise physiologists, rehabilitation psychologists, and a registered dietitian. In 2021, the team was accepted into the Take Heart Collaborative, a national forum for multidisciplinary professionals who are working to achieve the goal of 70% cardiac rehabilitation participation in eligible patients. “Across the country, we’re seeing only 20% to 30% of the people who qualify for cardiac rehab,” explained Lucia Izzo, MSN, Administrative Supervisor of the Cardiac Prevention and Rehabilitation Center. “We want to get that number up to 70% because cardiac rehab outcomes are so incredible.”
Karen Kutlick had a history of heart issues and was already under the care of a cardiologist when she learned she needed the cardiac catheterization. She had been experiencing angina (chest pain) for more than six months and found out she had one blockage plus a number of coronary lesions. “I had a little discomfort in my chest, but I didn’t think I’d end up in the ICU for 10 days!” she recalled. “When I got to rehab, they didn’t just support my physical health, but my emotional and social health as well.” In addition to increasing her fitness level, she participated in educational workshops focused on coping and relaxation skills and also cardiac yoga, as well as consultation with a registered dietitian. Her blood pressure and quality of life improved and the amount of time she can exercise also increased. “I am so thankful for all that I learned and for the care I received,” she added.
Max Bhavnani had a strong family history of heart disease. “But when I felt chest pain on the treadmill, a heart attack was the last thing that entered my mind. I was only 47,” he said. The pain intensified. He went to a local emergency room and was transferred to Hackensack University Medical Center, where he was placed on an intra-aortic balloon pump to support his heart, followed by bypass surgery. After beginning cardiac rehab that April, he became stronger and fitter, and his quality of life improved. “Cardiac rehab gave me a second chance and taught me the discipline to take care of my body,” he noted.
“Being able to impact people’s lives and change their outlook on life gives us a great sense of pride,” said Thomas P. Mahady, senior exercise physiologist at the Cardiac Prevention and Rehabilitation Center. “Each of the winners of this year’s awards adheres to every single tenet that we have taught them. You can see it when you look at how well they are doing compared to when they first came to us for their care.”
Heart disease remains the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “As we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Cardiac Rehab Persons of the Year awards, we are reminded of the power of cardiac rehabilitation to build heart-healthy habits and reduce the risk of future heart attacks,” said Mark D. Sparta, FACHE, president and chief hospital executive of Hackensack University Medical Center and president, Northern Region, Hackensack Meridian Health. “If more people like Karen and Max engaged in these programs, we could reduce the number of people with heart disease in this country.”
Heart and Vascular Rehabilitation Team & Patients
Hackensack University Medical Center’s Heart and Vascular Hospital — a state-of-the-art “hospital within a hospital” — houses the latest equipment and programs and integrates preventive, diagnostic, and treatment services for people with or at risk for cardiovascular disease. Inpatients and outpatients are treated for all types of cardiac and vascular diseases, including coronary artery disease, irregular heartbeats, peripheral vascular disease, and neurovascular diseases such as stroke and aneurysm.
For more information about the Cardiac Prevention and Rehabilitation Center, visit www.hackensackUMC.org or call 551-996-3589.
ABOUT HACKENSACK UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER
Hackensack University Medical Center, a 781-bed nonprofit teaching and research hospital, is the largest provider of inpatient and outpatient services in New Jersey. Founded in 1888 as Bergen County’s first hospital, it was the first hospital in New Jersey and second in the nation to become a Magnet®-recognized hospital for nursing excellence. The academic flagship of Hackensack Meridian Health, Hackensack University Medical Center’s campus is home to facilities such as John Theurer Cancer Center, the Heart & Vascular Hospital, and the Sarkis and Siran Gabrellian Women’s and Children’s Pavilion. Recognized as being in the top 1% of hospitals in the nation and #1 in New Jersey by U.S. News & World Report’s 2022-23 “Best Hospitals” Honor Roll, Hackensack University Medical Center also ranked as high-performing in cancer care, cardiology and heart surgery, gastroenterology and GI surgery, geriatrics, nephrology, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopedics, pulmonology, and urology. Hackensack University Medical Center’s comprehensive clinical research portfolio includes studies focused on precision medicine, translational medicine, immunotherapy, cell therapy, and vaccine development.
###
