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OPTIMIST Newsletter
Read the latest OPTIMIST newsletter!
OPTIMIST Brochure
Please see our OPTIMIST Program brochure (PDF).
Physician Leaders
Timothy Henry, MD, FACC
Jay H. Traverse, MD
Randall K. Johnson, MD, FACC
Anil K. Poulose, MD, FACC
M. Nicholas Burke, MD
OPTIMIST Program
For the majority of Americans with heart disease, traditional medical approaches offer a clear and successful answer to the problems they face.
But for others these traditional approaches have not worked. Their heart disease has a real and ongoing impact on the quality of their lives. For many of these individuals, it may seem that there are no other options and no real hope for the future.
At the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation, we don’t see it that way.
Our program’s name — OPTIMIST — stands for OPTions in Myocardial Ischemic Syndrome Therapy. For us, it is more than a handy acronym. It means helping patients who might have thought they were beyond help.
Please read more about the program below and in our OPTIMIST Program brochure (PDF).
OPTIMIST Program Treatment Options
We offer a variety of treatment options that can help patients with chronic angina, heart failure and coronary artery disease. Those options include:
Angiogenesis, the subject of groundbreaking heart research, uses gene therapy or adult stem cells to stimulate new blood vessel growth. This increases the blood supply to the heart. Improving blood flow and heart muscle function can relieve symptoms of coronary artery disease and heart failure. It can also reduce long-term risks of heart attack.
Enhanced external counterpulsation, or EECP, is an outpatient treatment that has been proven to decrease or even eliminate angina in patients who are not ideal candidates for bypass surgery or angioplasty. It uses large blood pressure-like cuffs wrapped around the legs and buttocks that inflate and deflate with the heart rhythm. This opens new pathways around narrowed or blocked arteries.
Novel (new) drugs are being developed to treat chronic chest pain. In recent studies, ranolazine (Ranexa) reduced the number of chest pain episodes and improved the quality of life for patients. Ranexa is now FDA-approved for patients with angina. Also, an amino acid, L-arginine, has been shown to relax the blood vessel walls and improve blood flow.
Spinal cord stimulation uses a device that is implanted during surgery. It delivers mild electrical signals to nerves in the spinal cord. Electrical signals ease chest pain by interfering with the transmission of pain signals.
Transmyocardial laser revascularization (TMR) is a medically approved technique that uses a laser probe to create channels through the heart muscle. This restores blood flow and oxygen to the heart. Since the 1960s, TMR has been used along with coronary bypass surgery for some patients to increase circulation to the heart muscle. TMR is now available using robotic technology that is less invasive than open surgery.
Novel Interventional Procedures
A number of interventional techniques are now available to increase blood flow to the heart:
- The Chronic Total Occlusion (CTO) Program focuses on patients whose arteries are completely closed. The arteries can’t be treated with standard procedures like bypass surgery and angioplasty/stent, or the patients may not be well suited for these procedures. The program staff conduct research on and use new devices and techniques to open closed arteries. This helps to relieve symptoms, improve heart function, avoid future surgeries and may even help patients live longer.
- The Coronary Sinus Reducer (CSR) is an hour-glass shaped expandable stent device. It is placed in the coronary sinus during an angiogram procedure. The coronary sinus is a collection of veins joined together to form a large vessel that collects blood from the heart muscle. It is believed that the investigational (still being researched) CSR will increase blood flow and reduce episodes of chest pain.
- Investigational low intensity shockwaves are delivered to areas of the heart that lack blood flow. This is believed to help new blood vessels grow and reduce the symptoms of patients with chronic angina.
Physicians and Staff
The physicians and staff of the OPTIMIST Program understand the frustration of not being able to find a solution to a condition that changes the way you live and your view of the future. We are dedicated to working with you to help restore your quality of life.
Our physicians and staff are nationally recognized for their expertise and experience. The OPTIMIST Program is a collective effort of three organizations known for their understanding of and commitment to excellence in heart care: Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation, the Minneapolis Heart Institute and Abbott Northwestern Hospital.
