Cardiologist from Poland visits U.S. to learn from Sanford

Dr. Pawel Buszman discusses population health, inherited heart disease, and early detection

Cardiologist from Poland visits U.S. to learn from Sanford

Pawel Buszman, M.D., is a world-renowned cardiologist from Poland who visited Sanford Health recently to share and exchange insights in health care.

Accompanied by Sanford Health interventional cardiologists Tom Stys, M.D., and Adam Stys, M.D. — brothers who also grew up in Poland and now live in Sioux Falls, South Dakota — Dr. Buszman met with Sanford leaders and providers over three days. Included were tours of the Sanford USD Medical Center and Children’s Hospital, the Sanford Health Foundation House and Sanford Research Center.

“Sanford is a very modern state-of-the-art cardiovascular hospital and network that provides all kinds of cardiovascular services,” Dr. Buszman said. “They should be very proud of their model system — any of procedure that can be performed in the world is being done here. At the same time they have developed unique methods evaluating cardiology and cardiovascular disease.”

Cardiology’s global village

Dr. Buszman is known worldwide for cardiovascular disease innovation as well as systems of care. He has patented a new heart valve that may someday be used at Sanford. He has also been a part of several advances in cardiovascular research that have traveled well beyond his native Poland.

“Professor Buszman is a world leader when it comes to cardiovascular disease,” Dr. Tom Stys said. “Cardiology is a global village. It has been our Sanford ambition to grow and to deliver the best and latest therapeutic options to our patients. The best outcomes happen when we can learn from each other.”

Dr. Buszman’s appearance is part of an ongoing commitment to the Sanford Cardiovascular Institute’s resolve to serve its patients. It represents a way of strengthening relationships within cardiology’s global village.

“We can learn a lot from each other,” Dr. Tom Stys said. “An interventional cardiologist and scientist of his caliber brings us enormous benefit. We look forward to future collaboration and creating even a better system of care to serve our patients.”

Future collaboration with Sanford

Of particular interest to Dr. Buszman is Sanford’s work with population health and early identification of those who may have a heart attack in their future. The doctor also has keen interest in Sanford’s efforts in providing comprehensive assessments of genetic risks for heart disease. Both areas point toward future collaboration.

“We’ll start with cooperation by learning from each other,” Dr. Adam Stys said. “I think we could then extend it to overseas. There are a lot of good projects that can be done together to the benefit of patients and health systems.”

Innovation in cardiology can be measured by creating groundbreaking new procedures but also in less complex ways. Advances in heart and vascular screenings, for instance, qualify as delivering better heart health care to more people.

Dr. Buszman’s visit and future cooperation with Sanford have the potential to advance those efforts.

“My Sanford colleagues have developed unique methods of evaluation,” he said. “Addressing the risk of cardiovascular disease is something that can be introduced to general practice in the future to prevent large-scale cardiovascular events and to decrease cardiovascular mortality. It can bring very cost-effective methods of screening of patients for primary and secondary prevention.”

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Posted In Children's, Foundation, Heart, Leadership in Health Care, Research, Vascular