HJAR Mar/Apr 2023

62 MAR / APR 2023  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS Hospital Rounds Baptist Health Offering Sonic PressureWave Treatment for Patients with PAD Baptist Health is now offering a treatment option for those suffering from an advanced form of peripheral artery disease (PAD) in which the plaque blockage also includes the presence of calcium. The treatment from Shockwave Medical Inc. is available at the healthcare organization’s cam- puses in Little Rock, North Little Rock, Conway, and Fort Smith. Intravascular Lithotripsy is an innovative advanced technology that uses sonic pressure waves to modify problematic calcium so that blockage can be alleviated and blood flow can be restored. The therapy uses a similar minimally invasive approach that has been embraced by physicians for decades to treat kidney stones, which are also made up of calcium. PAD affects nearly 9 million people in the U.S. by preventing blood flow to the legs and feet, causing significant pain and limited mobility, and potentially leading to surgery or even amputation in severe cases. However, general awareness of PAD is estimated at only 25% based on prior studies. As the U.S. population continues to live longer, the incidence of calcium within these blockages is rising. Calcium slowly develops and progresses to its hardened, bone-like state over the course of sev- eral decades of cellular growth and death in dis- eased plaque within the vessel walls. While it is slow to develop, its impact is immediately encoun- tered when performing procedures to repair calci- fied plaques in the vessel. The calcium’s hardened structure restricts nor- mal vessel movement and makes the rigid vas- cular tissue resistant to traditional balloon ther- apies that have been designed to compress the plaque within the vessel wall to restore normal blood flow. For these reasons, the presence of cal- cium increases the complexity of most cases and decreases the effectiveness of most treatments. Michelle Krause, MD, to Lead UAMS Health System, Hospital The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) has named Michelle W. Krause, MD, MPH, senior vice chancellor for UAMS Health and chief executive officer for UAMS Medical Center, and Ahmed Abuabdou, MD, MBA, chief clinical officer for UAMS Medical Center. Both have been serv- ing in these roles on an interim basis since Sep- tember 2022. “Dr. Krause has been at UAMS for more than 20 years and led both our COVID-19 testing and vac- cination efforts and helped lead the implemen- tation of our operational surge plans for caring for additional hospitalized COVID patients,” said UAMS Chancellor Cam Patterson, MD, MBA. “Her clinical expertise, administrative experience and institutional knowledge make her the ideal leader for our statewide health system. She is well versed on the health care needs across Arkansas. “We are fortunate to have two established lead- ers from within UAMS to step into these roles,” he said. “Their leadership and perspectives will be particularly valuable in our efforts to achieve our strategic goals to make Arkansas a healthier state and grow our national reputation for excellence.” Krause is responsible for UAMS Health’s 535- bed hospital, outpatient clinics in central Arkan- sas, digital health services, and clinics at eight regional campuses across the state. She serves as chair of the board of directors of the Baptist Health-UAMS Accountable Care Alliance and is also a professor in the UAMS College of Medicine. Krause joined UAMS in 2002 and served in sev- eral administrative roles including ambulatory medical director and vice chair for Clinical Pro- grams of the Department of Internal Medicine before being named director of the Integrated Medicine Service Line in 2015. In April 2022, she was named chief clinical officer and served in this capacity before taking on her current role. She received a medical degree from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and completed an internal medicine residency at the University of North Carolina. She completed fel- lowships in nephrology and research nephrology at the University of North Carolina and earned a master’s in public health in epidemiology at the University of North Carolina School of Pub- lic Health. As chief clinical officer, Abuabdou will facilitate medical staff interactions with UAMS Health lead- ership and among service lines to ensure effective and efficient care delivery. He also has executive operational oversight of the clinical service lines and chairs the Clinical Leadership Council. “Dr. Abuabdou has served in this new role on an interim basis for the past four months and has strong relationships with staff at all levels that help ensure we provide excellent patient care to all patients at all times,” said Krause. “As a trusted member of the UAMS Health leadership team, he will play an essential role in navigating our clini- cal operations through the opportunities ahead.” Abuabdou joined UAMS in 2012. He is an asso- ciate professor of medicine at UAMS and previ- ously served as associate chief medical officer. He also leads the UAMS Physician Advisor Group. He completed medical school at Gulf Medical Col- lege, United Arab Emirates, earning Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery degrees. He completed an internal medicine residency at St. Elizabeth Health Center in Youngstown, Ohio, and then completed a fellowship in blood banking and transfusion medicine at UAMS. He has a Master of Business Administration from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Nationally, Abuabdou serves as the vice president of operations for the American College of Physician Advisors. Ahmed Abuabdou, MD, MBA, Michelle W. Krause, MD, MPH