When Dr. Jerome McDonald arrived at DCH Regional Medical Center early this year, physicians in Tuscaloosa were performing just a handful of heart surgeries annually. Nearly everyone who needed one drove to Birmingham.
This week, he completed his 100th open-heart procedure since starting in January.
McDonald, a board-certified cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon, was hired to rebuild a service line that had gone nearly dormant. The turnaround means fewer and fewer patients are going to UAB or Grandview for critical heart surgeries they can now get closer to home.
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The bulk of McDonald’s work at DCH is coronary bypass surgery, along with valve procedures and operations for atrial fibrillation. He described the distinction between what he does and the stents many readers may be familiar with…