History of the Division

1915

Dr. F. Janney Smith, a graduate of Johns Hopkins University and the second physician hired for the staff of Henry Ford Hospital, founds the Department of Cardio-respiratory Diseases, one of the first in the U.S. Dr. Smith is assisted by Drs. Leslie T. Colvin and Ray E. Logan.

1922

One of the first electrocardiograph machines in the country was purchased for Henry Ford Hospital.

1939

The use of heparin for thrombosis began at Ford Hospital under the direction of surgeons Drs. Conrad Lam and Roy D. McClure.

1944

Dr. Robert Ziegler began routine use of multiple-lead chest electrocardiograms at Henry Ford Hospital, the first hospital to use this technique.

1945

Dr. Robert Ziegler with Dr. F. Mason Somes established one of the first cardiology training programs in the U.S. at Henry Ford Hospital. They also initiated the hospital’s first cardiac catheterization studies program.

1961

Henry Ford Hospital hosted an international symposium "The Etiology of Myocardial Infarction." The published proceedings were edited by Drs. Thomas N. James and John W. Keyes.

1960's

Cardiologist Dr. Gerald Breneman and colleagues open the first Coronary Care Unit at Ford Hospital.

1967

Henry Ford Hospital began the use of implantable pacemakers.

1974

Dr. Sidney Goldstein was appointed chief of the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine. He is a pioneer in clinical trials and a specialist in the prevention of sudden cardiac death.

1975

The Cardiovascular Research Institute was founded at Henry Ford Hospital under Dr. Paul Stein.

1977

The Lilly Research Laboratories awarded a grant of $108,000 to the Henry Ford Hospital Division of Cardiovascular Medicine for the study of a new drug to stabilize irregular heart rhythms among patients with coronary heart disease. Dr. Isaac Bar, Director of the Coronary Care Unit, and Dr. Sidney Goldstein were co-directors of the program.

1979

Henry Ford Hospital became one of the pioneers in coronary angioplasty. The balloon procedure revolutionized cardiology care for coronary patients.

1983

Dr. Fareed V. Khaja reported the first placebo-controlled randomized trial of intracoronary streptokinase. News of this new treatment to restore blood supply to the heart muscle of coronary victims was featured throughout the country.

1984

The Heart and Vascular Institute was conceived to include cardiology, cardiothoracic surgery, vascular surgery, and hypertension research. The following year the Heart and Vascular Institute was announced to the general public by co-directors Drs. Sidney Goldstein and Donald Magilligan.

1985

Because of multidisciplinary cardiovascular teams, heart transplantation started with the first in Detroit performed by Dr. Fraser Keith, assisted by Dr. Donald Magilligan. Within five years, 100 transplants had been performed with one of the nation's best survival rates. The program Lifeshare was launched to promote organ donation awareness.

1986

Heart Smart® services were introduced in restaurants and in grocery stores to promote heartwise diet and lifestyle choices. Heart Smart® was started by benefactor Sol Levine and Dr. Steven Keteyian, Director of the Levine Health Enhancement Center.

1987

Henry Ford Hospital performed the first valvuloplasty to unblock the valve to improve blood flow to the heart. The procedure was pioneered in France by Alain Cribier, M.D., at the University of Rouen. Dr. Cribier worked in tandem with Dr. Fareed Khaja on the operation at Henry Ford Hospital using a catheter threaded through the groin artery to unblock the valve.

1993

Dr. Paul Stein, Director of the Henry Ford Hospital Cardiovascular Research Laboratory and President of the American College of Chest Physicians, traveled to Washington, D.C., to discuss anti-smoking legislation, the health care reform agenda, and funding for the National Institutes of Health and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. He proposed a cigarette excise tax and a bill to reduce the tax deduction for tobacco advertising.

Henry Ford Hospital was selected to participate in a $10.2 million heart study as one of eight research institutions nationwide. The award was given by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. Dr. Fareed Khaja, Director of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory, was the principal investigator in the work.

1996

Dr. W. Douglas Weaver was appointed head of Cardiology.

The first successful transplant of the Acorn CorCap Cardiac Support Device was conducted at Henry Ford Hospital. The surgery was performed by cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Robert Brewer and the patient cared for by Dr. Barbara B. Czerska, Director of the Heart Failure Section at Henry Ford Hospital and the Heart and Vascular Institute.

1998

The Division of Cardiology received a $1 million endowment by Frank and Barbara Darin. Dr. W. Douglas Weaver was named the first holder of the chair.

2005

The Paul and Lynn Alandt Catheterization and Electrophysiology Center opened with the first electromagnetic navigation suite in Michigan.

2012

Dr. Henry Kim was appointed chief of the Division of Cardiology and the Frank and Barbara Darin Endowed Chair.

The Koslosky Family Endowed Chair was announced.

Dr. William O’Neill was appointed director of the new Center for Structural Heart Disease. He is internationally known as a leader in interventional cardiology, and in the research and treatment of heart disease. In 2005, he performed the first aortic valve replacement through a catheter in the United States.

A team of heart doctors at Henry Ford Hospital was the first in Michigan to perform the LARIAT® procedure, a new catheter-based procedure that limits the risk of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation who cannot take blood-thinning medications. The Henry Ford team was led by Dr. Mayra Guerrero, director of the Structural Heart Disease Fellowship, and Dr. Claudio Schuger, director of the Cardiac Electrophysiology Service.

Doctors at Henry Ford Hospital are the first in Michigan to replace a patient’s heart valve a second time, implanting an artificial valve by threading it through an artery to take the place of a previous surgical implant. The new transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) procedure was led by Dr. William O’Neill, medical director of the Center for Structural Heart Disease at Henry Ford Hospital.

2013

Drs. William O’Neill and Adam Greenbaum performed a world-first cardiac transcaval procedure. This method threads a guided wire through a vein in the leg, travels throughout various passages to open the vein and artery to allow a catheter to connect and then to enter the heart to implant a new heart valve.

Henry Ford Hospital, under Dr. Gerald Koenig, is the first in Michigan to use stem cells to preserve heart muscle function after a recent heart attack. Bone marrow from the pelvic bone is processed to isolate stem cells and then infused into the blood vessel of the injured area of the heart through a catheter.

2014

William O’Neill, M.D., medical director of the Center for Structural Heart Disease at Henry Ford Hospital used an artificial heart valve designed for aortic valve replacement to repair a mitral valve that was narrowed with calcium buildup all through the use of a catheter.

Henry Ford Hospital is now the only medical center in Michigan and the upper Midwest currently using catheters and tiny wires to successfully drill through 100% blockages. The procedure avoids open heart surgery, relieves chest pain and improves cardiac function.

Doctors at Henry Ford Hospital reached a medical milestone April 3, performing the 25th successful transcatheter valve replacement using a novel way to access the heart. Henry Ford is the only hospital in the United States performing the unique procedure called transcaval valve replacement, which accesses the heart by temporarily connecting major blood vessels.

Heart transplant recipients from Henry Ford Hospital and other regional medical centers set a Guinness World Record for the largest gathering of heart transplant patients ever. The Donate Life Coalition of Michigan hosted the event at Art Moran Buick GMC in Southfield, which drew 132 patients on Valentine’s Day 2014. Just 50 were needed to break the record.

2015

Henry Ford Macomb Hospital in Clinton Township has been named a Top 50 Heart Hospital, selected from more than 1000 hospitals evaluated across the United States.

Cardiologists in Detroit for the first time in the world used a novel route to the heart to insert a tiny heart pump to keep a woman alive at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.

2016

The Henry Ford Women’s Heart Center, part of the pioneering Edith and Benson Ford Heart & Vascular Center, is now accepting patients in Detroit’s Midtown neighborhood. Henry Ford cardiologist Deirdre Mattina, M.D., and the team at the Women’s Heart Center are focused on providing life-changing support to women with heart disease or cardiovascular risk factors.

The doctor who pioneered angioplasty to stop a heart attack 32 years ago says a straw-sized heart pump just approved by the FDA could have a similar, dramatic effect on heart attack survival rates.

A Henry Ford Hospital cardiologist, Adam Greenbaum, M.D., is pioneering a promising new procedure to improve the success of mitral valve replacement.

Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit and Henry Ford Macomb Hospital in Clinton Township, Mich., have been named Top 50 Heart Hospitals for 2017.

2017

Henry Ford Hospital Cardiologist Receives National Award, Performs 100th Pioneering Transcaval Heart Procedure in Detroit

A pioneering Henry Ford Hospital cardiologist says a promising new heart valve procedure may offer hope to many patients with aortic valve disease. Adam Greenbaum, M.D., co-director of the Center for Structural Heart Disease at Henry Ford Hospital, says the “BASILICA” procedure he helped develop with University of Washington and the National Institutes of Health is a potentially life-saving development in cardiology.

Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit has been named a Top 50 Heart Hospital for the second year in a row, selected from more than 1000 hospitals evaluated across the United States. The award is part of the 100 Top Hospitals program by Watson Health, a division of Truven Health Analytics.

Henry Ford Health System is pleased to announce cardiologist Akshay Khandelwal, M.D., has been named incoming Chair-elect of the Board of Governors for the American College of Cardiology, the nation-wide medical society for cardiologists in the United States. Dr. Khandelwal, a senior staff member in Interventional Cardiology at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, currently serves as governor/president of the Michigan Chapter of the American College of Cardiology (ACC). He’s an ACC fellow (FACC), as well as a fellow in the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (FSCAI).

Henry Ford Macomb Hospital in Clinton Township earned a spot on the Becker Healthcare’s list, “100 Hospitals with Great Heart Programs.”

A Henry Ford Health System cardiology team performed the 1,000 TAVR heart valve replacement at Henry Ford Hospital. The procedure, done exclusively through a catheter, was performed Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2017 by a team led by pioneering interventional cardiologist William W. O’Neill, M.D. and cardiothoracic surgeon Gaetano Paone, M.D. The hospital system is the first in metro Detroit and fewer than 20 in the United States to reach the milestone

A 56-year-old Macomb County man has become the first successful recipient of an artificial heart at Henry Ford Hospital. Led by Dr. Hassan Nemeh, the surgical team removed the patient’s native ventricles and hooked him to the SynCardia artificial heart on Dec. 11, 2017. The heart’s mechanisms are contained in an 18-pound pack that stays with the patient.

The American College of Cardiology has awarded the program manager for the Henry Ford Center for Structural Heart Disease one of its highest honors. Henry Ford Hospital’s Janet “Gigi” Fredal Wyman, DNP, RN, received the 2018 Distinguished Associate Award at the ACC’s 67th Annual Scientific Sessions in Orlando. The group’s highest non-physician honor recognizes outstanding contribution to the cardiovascular profession.

2018

Henry Ford Hospital Cardiologist Wins Rare Award – twice. The National Institutes of Health bestowed a second prestigious Orloff Science Award to pioneering Henry Ford Cardiologist Adam Greenbaum, M.D., and his team for developing two life-saving heart procedures.

Henry Ford Hospital’s Center for Structural Heart Disease, led by pioneering cardiologist William W. O’Neill, M.D., performed the first Cardioband procedure in Michigan on May 31. The hospital is the only system in Michigan involved in the U.S. trial and one of a couple in the midwestern United States. The Cardioband procedure was approved for use in Europe in September 2015.

Dee Dee Wang, MD, Director of Structural Heart Imaging, recognized by Crain’s Detroit Business as one of the Notable Women in Health Care.

Henry Ford Hospital’s Center for Structural Heart Disease, led by pioneering cardiologist William W. O’Neill, M.D., performed the first Cardioband procedure in Michigan on May 31. The hospital is the only system in Michigan involved in the U.S. trial and one of a couple in the midwestern United States. The Cardioband procedure was approved for use in Europe in September 2015.

Cardiologists at HFH performed the first implantation in the US of a device approved for use in Europe for hard-to-treat angina. The Neovasc Reducer was successfully implanted in a middle-age, Detroit Area man on June 19.

Henry Ford Macomb Hospital in Clinton Township is recognized in the July 2018 issue of Consumer Reports as a top heart hospital. Hospitals listed in the magazine performed well in both heart bypass and aortic valve replacement, in terms of complications, mortality and other factors.

Preliminary National Cardiogenic Shock Initiative study results, presented in September, confirm the effectiveness of a protocol established in Detroit to treat heart attack patients in cardiogenic shock, which since going national has shown improvement in survival rates from 50 to >75 percent.

G3 Pharmaceuticals, a development-stage biopharmaceutical company located in Burlington, MA, and Henry Ford Health System, have announced in November the signing of an exclusive license and option agreement for the development and commercialization of galectin-3 inhibitors for treatment of diastolic heart failure.

2019

In March, Henry Ford Macomb Hospital treats their first patient, Michelle Rachuk, with ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) and saves her life. Dr. Alnajjar mobilized his team to the catheter lab to get Rachuk hooked up to the ECMO technology.

During the American College of Cardiology’s 68th Annual Scientific Sessions in New Orleans in March, Dr. Janet “Gigi” Wyman is part of a panel responding to a study showing that the catheter-based TAVR heart procedure is better than heart surgery in low-risk patients. Dr. Wyman is a nurse and manager of the Henry Ford Center for Structural Heart Disease.

In March, Dr. Akshay Khandelwal is named chair of the American College of Cardiology’s Board of Governors and secretary of the Board of Trustees, the main governing body of the ACC, for 2019-2020.

In March, Henry Ford Health System’s 1000th patient is treated with the aid of 3D printing technology. Cardiologist Dee Dee Wang, M.D., imaging expert and Medical Director of 3D Printing at Henry Ford Innovations, helps design the print used to position the patient’s new mitral heart valve. Dr. William W. O’Neill, director of the Henry Ford Center for Structural Heart Disease, and his partner, Henry Ford cardiologist Tiberio Frisoli, conducts the procedure.

In June, the FDA approves use of the Mimics Enlight cardiovascular planning software suite, which provides measuring tools used to evaluate patients and plan complex transcatheter mitral valve replacement (TMVR), or replacement of a patient’s failing mitral valve. Dr. Dee Dee Wang, Director of Structural Heart Imaging for the Henry Ford Center for Structural Heart Disease, was instrumental in developing the software.

In June, Dr. Gerald Koenig leads Henry Ford to be the first in metro-Detroit to use a stem cell treatment for those with chronically weakened heart muscle function following a heart attack. Dr. Gerald Koenig is Henry Ford Health System's principal site investigator for the CardiAMP Stem Cell Heart Failure Clinical Trial

In June, Henry Ford Jackson Hospital doctors, led by Henry Ford interventional cardiologists Tiberio Frisoli, MD; Matthew Jonovich, MD; and Usman Khokhar, MD, perform the first catheter-based replacement of an aortic heart valve, part of the nationally recognized TAVR program of Henry Ford Health System's Center for Structural Heart Disease.

Dr. William W. O’Neill, medical director of the Henry Ford Center for Structural Heart Disease, and Dr. Dee Dee Wang, director of Structural Heart Imaging for the Center, developed a procedure in which they induce a mini heart attack in patients with small heart chamber anatomies in need of mitral valve replacement. Patients with the smaller chambers can suffer from left ventricular outflow track (LVOT) obstruction, which is nearly always fatal. When causing a heart attack where the patient would need a mitral valve replacement, the muscle thins, allowing more room for blood to flow after TMVR. The study was published July 1.

Doctors performed the first two catheter-based replacements of an aortic heart valve in early August at Henry Ford Macomb Hospital, part of a continued expansion of the nationally recognized transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) program of Henry Ford Health System. Dr. William O’Neill, Henry Ford Health System’s Director of Structural Heart Disease, led the 2-hour procedures at Macomb with Dr. Raed Alnajjar, as well as interventional cardiologists Dr. Samer Kazziha ,Subhi Sbahi, Dr. Natesh Lingam, and Dr. Luay Sayed, and Dr. Merajuddin Khan led the anesthesiology team for both procedures.

2020

World-renowned Detroit interventional cardiologist, Khaldoon Alaswad, M.D., specializing in catheter-based treatment of heart blockages is the only US doctor performing a live procedure during a 14-hour marathon of cases taking place around the world on July 9.

2021

January, Henry Ford Health System researchers find those more aerobically fit are hospitalized less due to COVID-19; lead researcher and clinical exercise physiologist Clinton Brawner, PhD, Senior Bioscientific Medical Staff in Preventive Cardiology at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.

February 15, New Heart & Vascular Clinic opens as part of medical mall expansion project at Henry Ford Wyandotte Hospital.

Henry Ford cardiologists find Apple iPhone 12 magnet deactivates implantable cardiac devices: Gurjit Singh, M.D., Joshua Greenberg, M.D., and Mahmoud R. Altawil, M.D.

William O’Neill, M.D., director of the Center for Structural Heart Disease at Henry Ford Health System, has donated $1 million to establish the Carol S. O’Neill Structural Heart Disease Research Fund at Henry Ford Health System. This fund, created in honor of Dr. O’Neill’s late wife, Carol, who passed away in 2019, will support and advance research efforts at Henry Ford Health System’s Heart & Vascular Institute.

Henry Ford Health System studies novel cell therapy aimed at improving heart failure symptoms, lead by Gerald Koenig, M.D., Ph.D., cardiologist and principal investigator of the CardiAMP clinical trial.

Karthikeyan Ananthasubramaniam, M.D, FACC (Karthik Ananth), Director of Nuclear Cardiology and Cardiac PET Laboratory at Henry Ford Hospital, has been elected to lead the Michigan Chapter of the American College of Cardiology (ACC) through 2025. His three-year term will begin in March 2022.

Results from the National Cardiogenic Shock Initiative demonstrate significant increase in heart attack survival. The results of a large, national heart attack study show that patients with a deadly complication known as cardiogenic shock survived at a significantly higher rate when treated with a protocol developed by cardiologists at Henry Ford Hospital in collaboration with four metro Detroit hospitals.

Interventional cardiologists at Henry Ford Health System have begun offering brachytherapy, the use of radiation to prevent recurrent blockage in a stent that has been implanted in the coronary arteries of the heart. The health system’s first cases were performed by Khaldoon Alaswad, M.D., Mohammad Alqarqaz, M.D., Babar Basir, D.O., and Mohamed Elshaikh, M.D. at Henry Ford Hospital in March 2021.

Cardiologists at Henry Ford Hospital are first in the U.S. and second in the world to implant a circulatory support device that is being investigated in a clinical trial for patients hospitalized with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) and worsening kidney function, a condition known as cardiorenal syndrome. The first case was performed by Babar Basir, D.O., Gerald Koenig, M.D., Ph.D., and Mohammad Alqarqaz, M.D., at Henry Ford Hospital in May 2021.

A world-renowned interventional cardiologist at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit who specializes in catheter-based treatments for heart blockages performed a live procedure during a 16-hour marathon of cases taking place around the world on May 6. Dr. Khaldoon Alaswad is among 26 doctors participating to promote medical advancements and education.

2022

Henry Ford Hospital’s associate division head of Cardiology Akshay Khandelwal, M.D., co-authored an innovative and unique health policy statement published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology that addresses building respect, civility and inclusion in the cardiovascular workspace. Dr. Khandelwal, was one of 16 co-authors on the ACC Writing Committee that drafted the policy statement.

For the third straight year, Henry Ford Hospital interventional cardiologist Khaldoon Alaswad, M.D. performed a live heart procedure as part of an international interactive medical education event, with proceeds benefiting hospitals in Ukraine. Dr. Alaswad is one of only two U.S. cardiologists among a team of 26 who performed live procedures over 15 hours on June 9.

Henry Ford Heart & Vascular was part of a multi-institutional heart failure study that was launched and executed completely virtual during the COVID-19 pandemic. The novel study design could serve as a model for future research. David Lanfear, M.D., a Henry Ford advanced heart failure specialist, said the virtual study is believed to be the first randomized drug study of its kind in cardiology.

Findings of a Henry Ford Health study published in the Journal of American Heart Association from researchers in the Center for Structural Heart Disease show Henry Ford’s pioneering use of 3D Computed Tomography (CT) imaging for planning left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) is associated with higher successful device implantation rates, shorter procedural times, and less frequent changes in device sizes.

Henry Ford Center for Structural Heart Disease is spearheading a multi-center, first-of-its-kind national clinical trial dubbed the “CORRAL-AF IDE” study for an innovative left atrial appendage occlusion device known as the LAmbre™️ Plus Left Atrial Appendage Closure System. Brian O’Neill, M.D., a Henry Ford Health interventional cardiologist, will be the lead investigator for the trial that will be facilitated at 75 hospitals across the United States.

2023

Henry Ford Health recently launched the “Heart Healthy Moms” clinic, founded and led by Dr. Ryhm Radjef. The cardiovascular clinic provides a new and modified postpartum heart program, focusing on remote blood pressure monitoring, for patients diagnosed with hypertensive disorders during pregnancy. The innovative clinic also aims to focus on disparities in health care for women at high risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality that exist in the community. “Heart Healthy Moms” is made possible in part by a Michigan Health Endowment Fund $100,000 grant, with more funding resources expected in the future.

Henry Ford Health research teams are launching a series of clinical studies in partnership with Illumina Inc., a global leader in DNA sequencing and array-based technologies, to assess the impact of comprehensive genomic testing in various disease areas. The first study launched in April, CardioSeq, will include 1,500 patients receiving care from the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine at Henry Ford Health. David Lanfear, M.D. M.S., Vice President of Clinical and Translational Research at Henry Ford Health is the study’s lead clinician.

Henry Ford Hospital structural heart interventional cardiologists Pedro Villablanca, M.D., and Brian O’Neill, M.D., are the first in the U.S. to successfully implant the new transcatheter tricuspid valve replacement device LuX-Valve Plus™️ for the treatment of patients with symptomatic tricuspid valve disease for whom traditional open-heart surgery is too high of a risk.

Interventional cardiologists at Henry Ford Health are the first in Michigan to treat a patient using the Impella RP Flex with SmartAssist, one of the world’s smallest heart pumps.

Henry Ford Health Interventional cardiologists William O’Neill, M.D., and Khaldoon Alaswad, M.D., took a page out of the medical history books by performing a new coronary bypass procedure replicated from one not used in decades to treat a patient living with crippling angina ― a severe symptom of coronary artery disease.

Henry Ford Health interventional cardiologists paved the way for a patient to have two life-changing surgeries (hip replacement and liver transplant) by implanting a new aortic valve device for the first time in the health system’s history. That novel aortic valve, known as the JenaValve Trilogy Heart Valve System™️, was made available through a clinical trial approved by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA).

A team of interventional cardiologists from Henry Ford Health’s Center for Structural Heart Disease, Pedro Engel Gonzalez, M.D., Brian O’Neill, M.D., and William O’Neill, M.D., recently became the first in the United States and the Western Hemisphere to repair a heart valve with severe tricuspid regurgitation in a patient using the investigational K-Clip™️ Transvascular Tricuspid Repair System. The 60-minute, minimally invasive, nonsurgical procedure was performed through a small incision in the patient’s neck with a catheter to reach the failing heart and placed the K-Clip in a strategic target location around the dilated tricuspid valve. Under the guidance of real-time 3D imaging and 4D modeling, the K-Clip system shrinks the diseased area around the tricuspid valve to help the patient’s valve to function better.