News

When a young patient under the care of WashU Medicine physicians Amit Pawale, MD, and Joel Schilling, MD, PhD, was admitted to the intensive care unit at Barnes-Jewish Hospital with heart failure, time was of the essence.

Justin Vader, MD, a WashU Medicine cardiologist and heart failure specialist at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, often sees patients with heart failure who are so sick by the time they enter care at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, that they require extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). Fortunately, the heart failure team is often able to stabilize such patients and transition them to a platform of support with a temporary heart pump, allowing patients to rehabilitate in the intensive care unit with the goal of either recovering cardiac function, undergoing a heart transplant or another procedure that may be appropriate for the patient’s needs.

With the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of transcatheter tricuspid valve replacement (TTVR) and transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (T-TEER) procedures for tricuspid regurgitation treatment, heart specialists at the Washington University and Barnes-Jewish Heart & Vascular Center in St. Louis, Mo., are pioneering advances that enhance the quality of life for patients who have historically suffered debilitating symptoms with limited therapeutic options.

Richard Bach, MD, Director of the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit and Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Center, and Jasvindar Singh, MD,  Section Head of Interventional and Structural Cardiology, have both received the  2025 Neville Grant Award for Clinical Excellence. 

Faculty and other members of the Diwan Lab, including Professor of Medicine and Chief of Cardiology at the St. Louis VA Hospital Abhinav Diwan, MD, have published a new paper titled “Phosphorylation of CRYAB induces a condensatopathy to worsen post–myocardial infarction left ventricular remodeling”. The work was chosen for the cover feature of the latest issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

Geri Lynn, 52, an avid marathon runner who has successfully completed 100 half-marathons—at least one in each state—has overcome tremendous obstacles. In October 2020, the University City attorney was hospitalized at Barnes-Jewish Hospital due to a hypertensive emergency, which means her blood pressure was dangerously high. This condition can cause serious damage to vital organs and can lead to encephalopathy, a disease that affects the function of the brain. For nearly a month, Geri Lynn was in and out of the hospital, struggling with short-term memory loss, diabetes, and physical disability. With the help of Mustafa Husaini, MD, WashU Medicine sports cardiologist at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, Geri Lynn began a program to resume her goal of running a half marathon in all 50 states and then conquering a goal of 100 half-marathons.

Research developed through the collaborative efforts of WashU Medicine, the University of Abuja, and The George Institute for Global Health have supported the launch of Nigeria’s Sodium Reduction Guidelines. William Bowen Endowed Professor of Medicine and Global Health Center Co-Director Mark Huffman, MD, MPH headed the WashU team for this NIH-funded project.