Perspectives Winter/Spring-2017

COLLEGE OF HEALTH CARE SCIENCES • 45 Archana Vatwani, D.P.T., M.B.A., PT, who joined the physical therapy faculty in May 2016 as an assistant professor, was hired to manage the curriculum’s cardio- respiratory content. She previously worked at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, where she focused on areas such as adult acute care, cardiopulmo- nary, and ICU settings. Her research interests include patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), left ventricular assistive devices (LVADs), and management issues within an acute-care hospital. Vatwani’s recent research, which she conducted at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, involved physical therapy interventions for patients with LVADs. The LVAD is a mechanical pump used to support heart function and blood flow in people who have weakened hearts. The external device consists of a battery in a carrying case that weighs approximately four pounds. The idea for the research came from the acute care cardiac physical therapists identifying a need to treat the LVAD patient population differently as compared to other cardiac surgery patients. The concern in this pop- ulation was the predisposing deconditioning, additional weight, and positioning of the LVAD for functional mobility—along with maintaining precautions—and limited discharge options to rehabilitation facilities. Patients often had an increased hospital stay to maxi- mize functional mobility prior to discharge. The study started as a quality-improvement initiative to cater to newly implanted LVAD patients, with a goal of imple- menting formal balance assessment and standardized balance interventions during their hospital stay. The goal was to determine if balance deficits are present in this patient population and to assess the effectiveness of a catered rehabilitation program on balance, functional mobility, and length of stay. The physical therapists established a specific physical therapy program to be provided twice a week during the patients’ hospital stay, in addition to their regular therapy plan. The study results indicated that newly implanted LVAD patients did present with a high risk of falls, and that the rehabilitation program improved balance and overall function. This research highlighted the challenges faced by these patients and the impor- tance of intensive acute-care physical therapy to lessen their impairments and improve function. This study is one of the first to focus on balance impairment in acute patients with newly implanted LVADs. Researchers presented their findings at two national physical therapy conferences, and their findings are under review for publication. n BY SHARI RONE-ADAMS, D.B.A., M.H.S.A., PT, CHAIR, PHYSICAL THERAPY PROGRAM Improving Patient Outcomes with Newly Implanted Ventricular Assistive Devices Archana Vatwani presents her research on “PT for Patients with LVADs” at a national conference in National Harbor, Maryland.