Daily Business Report-Sept. 27, 2016
Avinger’s Pantheris Lumivascular new image-guided catheter with a camera the size of a grain of salt. (Courtesy UC San Diego Health)
New Catheter Lets Doctors See
Inside Arteries for the First Time
UC San Diego Health first in region
to use image-guided, plaque-busting catheter
By Michelle Brubaker
Cardiologists at Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center at UC San Diego Health are the first in the region to use a new, high-tech catheter that allows them to see inside arteries for the first time — cutting out only the diseased tissue.
The new technology is used to remove plaque from clogged arteries, a procedure that can save and improve lives.
The new image-guided device, Avinger’s Pantheris Lumivascular atherectomy system, allows doctors to see and remove plaque simultaneously during an atherectomy – a minimally invasive procedure that involves cutting plaque away from the artery and clearing it out to restore blood flow.
The new technology treats patients suffering from the painful symptoms of peripheral artery disease (PAD), a condition caused by a build-up of plaque that blocks blood flow in the arteries of the legs and feet, preventing oxygen-rich blood from reaching the extremities. Patients with PAD frequently develop life threatening complications, including heart attack, stroke, and in some severe cases, patients may even face amputation.
“Peripheral artery disease greatly impacts quality of life, with patients experiencing cramping, numbness and discoloration of their extremities,” said Dr. Mitul Patel, cardiologist at UC San Diego Health. “This new device is a significant step forward for the treatment of PAD with a more efficient approach for plaque removal and less radiation exposure to the doctor and patient.”
X-ray technology was previously used during similar procedures, but those images are not nearly as clear and do not allow visualization inside the blood vessel. The new catheter, with a fiber optic camera the size of a grain of salt on the tip, is fed through a small incision in the groin that does not require full anesthesia. Once inside, the interventional cardiologist is able to see exactly what needs to be removed without damaging the artery wall, which can cause further narrowing.
PAD affects nearly 20 million adults in the United States and more than 200 million globally. September is PAD Awareness Month, which has a personal meaning to one of Patel’s patients, who recently underwent an atherectomy at UC San Diego Health with the new catheter.
Patel said the patient had severe scar tissue and plaque build-up at a previously treated site in his right leg, limiting blood flow to his calf muscle and his ability to exercise or even walk a short distance.
“He was a good candidate for the new image-guided catheter approach. The device allowed for excellent visualization inside his leg artery as we removed only the diseased tissue,” said Patel.
Now able to walk several miles with this wife without any limitations, the patient’s quality of life has improved, and with some lifestyle changes, he hopes to manage his PAD and prevent another blockage.
Pantheris was approved by the FDA in March 2016. So far, cardiologists at UC San Diego Health have used the new catheter on 10 patients undergoing an atherectomy procedure with successful results.
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Poll Workers Needed for Nov. 8 Election
Poll workers, especially those who are bilingual in any one of eight specific languages, are needed for the Nov. 8 Presidential General Election. The Registrar’s office is required by federal law to provide bilingual speakers and voting materials to voters who speak Spanish, Filipino, Vietnamese and Chinese.
In addition, a survey conducted by the University of California, Berkeley showed a need for speakers of Khmer, Japanese, Korean and Hindi at about 20 precincts across the county so the Registrar’s office is also recruiting poll workers who are bilingual in those languages for the election.
To become a poll worker, applicants must be a U.S citizen and registered to vote in California, or lawfully admitted for permanent residence in the United States. Poll workers must have transportation to their assigned polling location, access to the Internet to take an online training and attend a two-hour class in person.
Poll workers receive a stipend ranging from $100 to $175 depending on the assignment and those who are bilingual receive an additional $15 if they are assigned to provide language assistance to voters.
Prospective poll workers can apply online at www.sdvote.com. For more information, call (858) 565-5800 or email pollworker@sdcounty.ca.gov.
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Election Day Voter Registration
Comes to California in 2017
Californians will be able to register to vote on election day starting next year after the state’s new voter database was officially certified for use on Monday. The certification of the VoteCal statewide database by Secretary of State Alex Padilla came almost seven months after the technical work was completed, and more than 15 years after a federal law mandated its creation. Read the Los Angeles Times report
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Capital Improvements at Hazard
Center Office Tower Completed
Johnson & Jennings General Contracting has completed capital improvements at Hazard Center Office Tower. The scope of work included expansive lobby renovations on the plaza level and ground floor, new shower, locker and fitness facilities on the ground floor and elevator lobby upgrades throughout the building.
Hazard Center Office Tower is a 15-story, Class A office building in the heart of San Diego’s Mission Valley community. The tower is part of the Hazard Center complex which includes retail, restaurants, services and hospitality amenities.
Lisa Gualco of PM Realty Group and general manager of Hazard Center oversaw the project. Laura Metcalf and Robin McNees of Hurkes Harris Design Associates provided design services. The Johnson & Jennings project team included Jim Lohnes as project manager, Raul Islas as project superintendent and Renata Cristo as project coordinator.
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Healthier — If Not Longer — Life
Through comprehensive physicals that include genome sequencing, Craig Venter says his Health Nucleus venture will predict and then catch medical conditions in their earliest stages and thus extend people’s lives, according to the Robb Report, a lifestyle newsletter.
For $25,000, Health Nucleus, which grew out of Venter’s Human Longevity company, will examine customers’ genomes and microbiomes, perform high-tech scans of their brains, hearts, and bodies, as well as analyze their blood.
“Our goal is to extend the healthy lifespan, not necessarily the number of years,” Venter notes in a Q&A with the Robb Report. “Death is still inevitable. I’m struggling to accept that.”
Through sequencing, he says that people can learn their genetic risk of developing certain diseases and, if they have that information early enough, they can take steps to mitigate that risk. Venter adds that more than a million people in the US are diagnosed with cancer each year, but that those diagnoses often come after patients experience symptoms. He wants to spot tumors earlier, before they spread, when they are easier to treat.
“We’re trying to drive a new preventive medicine paradigm,” Venter adds. “We’re not good, as a society, with preventive medicine. We wait for crises, and then we try to respond to them versus trying to predict things and head them off.”
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SDX Invites Brand Diego Awards Nominations
SDX, formerly San Diego Ad Club, is now accepting nominations for its 2016 Brand Diego awards. Deadline for nominations is Friday, Sept. 30. Nominations can be submitted at www.sandiegox.org.
There is no entry fee. Now in its fourth year, the awards program recognizes outstanding San Diego brands and the marketing and advertising professionals who build those brands, according to Brian Hilemon, SDX 2016-17 president.
This year’s categories include: Business-to-Consumer Brand of the Year, Business-to-Business Brand of the Year, Non-Profit Brand of the Year, Emerging Brand of the Year, Brand Professional of the Year, Agency of the Year, Agency Professional of the Year, Media Company of the Year, Media Professional of the Year, Media Talent of the Year, Industry Affiliate of the Year, Hispanic Marketing Brand of the Year, Hispanic Marketing Professional of the Year, Young Achiever Award, Marketing Employer of the Year and Community Partner Award.
Winners will be announced at a 5:30 p.m. reception Thursday, Nov. 10, at the McMillin Event Center at Liberty Station.
The Brand Diego awards program also will include the Paula E. Sullivan Award, a career achievement award. Since 1992, Sullivan award recipients have included individuals actively involved and dedicated to the San Diego advertising and graphic design community who are willing to share their accomplishments, expertise and inspiration with the San Diego community.
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San Diego Air & Space Museum
Announces Hall of Fame Inductees
By City News Service
Eight individuals and organizations, including The Boeing Co. and an Apollo astronaut, will be inducted into the International Air & Space Hall of Fame in November, the San Diego Air & Space Museum announced Monday.
The inductees for the Nov. 17 ceremony at the museum are:
- The Boeing Co., the maker of passenger and military aircraft that’s celebrating its centennial.
- Al Worden, the command module pilot for Apollo 15 who conducted the first space walk in deep space.
- the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association trade organization.
- U.S. Coast Guard aviation, which is also celebrating its 100th anniversary.
- Dale Myers, a leader of the U.S. space program at NASA in the 1970s who oversaw later Apollo missions and the development of Skylab and the space shuttle.
- The “non-skeds,” former World War II pilots who operated non- scheduled airlines in the post-war years.
- The nonprofit ORBIS International Flying Eye Hospital, which operates a DC-10 that includes a teaching facility and ophthalmic surgical center.
- America’s Aviation Family of Excellence: The Maloneys and Hintons, Warbird and Air Racing Legends, who preserve old aircraft, some the last of their type.
“We’re especially pleased to honor this exemplary Class of 2016 because these pioneers have not only made significant contributions in air and space exploration, they’ve also become strong positive role models for today’s youth,” said Jim Kidrick, museum president and CEO. “Aviation and space exploration, as embodied by the honorees in the International Air & Space Hall of Fame, directly represents the human pioneering spirit.”
There are more than 200 members of the Hall of Fame, including Charles Lindbergh, Chuck Yeager and Jimmy Doolittle.
Proceeds from the induction event will benefit the museum’s youth education programs.
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Chula Vista, San Diego Join
White House Smart Cities Initiative
By City News Service
The cities of Chula Vista and San Diego will take part in programs announced by the White House Monday to address climate change, transportation, public safety and improved public services.
According to the White House, $80 million in federal funds will be spent on programs in its Smart Cities Initiative.
“If we can re-conceive of our government so that the interactions and the interplay between private sector, nonprofits and government are opened up, and we use technology, data, social media in order to join forces around problems, then there’s no problem that we face in this country that is not soluble,” President Barack Obama said in a statement.
The city of Chula Vista will take part in a U.S. Department of Energy program called the “Better Communities Alliance,” which will provide support in tackling energy and climate challenges.
Chula Vista is one of more than 30 municipalities and counties taking part in the program, along with more than 25 community and trade organizations.
The program is a one-stop shop for cities and counties to plug into DOE and AmeriCorps resources.
In California, the cities of Huntington Beach and San Francisco, and counties of Los Angeles and Sonoma, will be part of the alliance.
The city of San Diego is among more than 20 cities launching an initiative to ensure responsible and equitable deployment of smart city technologies, according to the White House.
The effort, led by the city of New York, aims to provide a common framework to help governments develop and expand policies and procedures related to the internet of things — which refers to network connectivity of appliances and other common objects.
The program goals also include ensuring openness and transparency regarding the use of public space or assets for smart city technologies, and advancing public dialogue about how government, the private sector and academia can collaborate to ensure the technologies are used in a way that maximizes public benefit.
The cities of Los Angeles, Palo Alto and San Francisco are also taking part in the initiative.
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Personnel Announcements
Scott Norris Joins Point Loma Credit Union
Point Loma Credit Union has named Scott Norris as its new vice president, lending. He will oversee consumer and home loans, and help the credit union grow its business lending program.
The credit union also selevted Matthew R. Rhead as chief financial officer.
Norris’ experience includes multi-channel originations, sales, underwriting, fulfillment, quality control, loan servicing, secondary marketing, and risk management. “I am pleased to be with a credit union that takes a ‘neighborhood’ approach,” says Norris. “PLCU is very community-focused and reminds its members to keep their money local.” Norris attended UC San Diego and San Diego State University.
Rhead brings 20 years of experience in credit unions and private technology companies, with skills that include budgeting, ratio analysis, strategy and management. Rhead serves as a mentor to students in all areas of study at San Diego State University, where he earned his BA. He also has an MBA from the University of California, Irvine.
