Latest news with #dominionpost.com
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Mon Medical Center achieves state first in new AFib procedure
May 25—dbeard @ Vandalia Health Mon Medical Center recently achieved another first-in-state in heart care by combining two technologies to treat atrial fibrillation — AFib. Mon Health Heart & Vascular Center electrophysiologist Dr. Salam Sbaity and his team combined the application of the Watchman and the Farapulse Pulsed Field Ablation system — both from Boston Scientific — in a single procedure. AFIb is when the top two chambers of the heart — the atria — beat too fast and with an irregular rhythm (fibrillation), Boston Scientific said. Sbaity explained why combining the two technologies is significant. AFib is the most common abnormal heart rhythm and West Virginia is among the top three states for prevalence. AFib symptoms include palpitations, dizziness and shortness of breath, he said, and can lead to heart failure, blood clots and stroke. There are two main advanced treatments. One is to treat the source of clots and stroke by closing the left atrial appendage, which extends off of the left atrium. The Watchman device is used to close it off. The other is to treat the rhythm itself, he said. Muscle sleeves lead from the atrium into four pulmonary veins and are the source of electrical instability that can start the abnormal rhythm. The abnormal rhythm is treated via cauterization, also known as ablation. The two forms of ablation used are extreme heat — radio frequency ablation — and extreme cold, cryoablation. Boston Scientific announced in January 2024 that the FDA approved a new form, pulsed field ablation, with the Farapulse. The Farapulse catheter is tipped with five circular splines that can change shapes — including a flower — to fit into the entry of veins, circle and isolate them. The Farapulse uses electrical pulses to create pores in the cell membranes and the cells die without heat or freezing, Sbaity said. It's safe for the structure of the veins and structures around them. Boston Scientific reported that 12-month data from a pivotal clinical trial to directly compare the efficacy and safety of the Farapulse system against standard-of-care ablation found that Farapulse therapy was as safe and effective as conventional thermal ablation, with statistically shorter ablation times and a quicker learning curve for physicians. "That made the procedure itself more effective and more safe, " he said. Sbaity and his partner, Dr. Matt Gaskill, performed the first Farapulse procedure in the state. "In reviewing the literature for a while, we were seeing that this is the future of ablation." It's faster, more effective and safer, he said. Both are done via a catheter through the groin and into the same chamber of the heart. So it allows the flexibility to add another procedure without increasing time and risks. The dual procedure has to be guided by internal imaging, and Sbaity took a further advanced step by employing intracardiac ultrasound — also called intracardiac echocardiography, ICE — instead of the usual transesophageal echocardiography, TEE. TEE requires a second physician sending a scope down the throat, posing the risk of esophageal damage, the American Heart Association says. ICE can be performed by the primary physician doing the catheter procedure, avoiding the additional intubation and damage risks. Only 8 % of cases of appendage closure in country are done with ICE, Sbaity said. Combining the two procedures, Sbaity said, allows him to offer the patient advanced treatment of both problems, with the risks associated with separate procedures pared down to one, and with reduced recovery time. I think this is the wave of the future, combining the two procedures together whenever both are necessary, " he said. The Mon team is participating in clinical trials comparing appendage closure against blood thinners for people who are not having problems with blood thinners, he said. One study showed closure is better statistically and better in terms of risks. "I think the other two studies will probably prove the same." What that means, he said, "if it goes that way, then anyone on blood thinner who goes for an ablation would as well want to close the appendage." This would increase the number of patients who benefit from the combined procedure. He expects most patients will want it. Sbaity said he has done just the one combined procedure so far, but five more are scheduled. "We're proud here at Mon to offer the most advanced technologies for our patients in West Virginia, " he said, "and we always want to be and have been at the forefront of innovation. That allows the population of West Virginia to have access to the most excellent, best care in the country."
Dominion Post
25-05-2025
- Health
- Dominion Post
Mon Medical Center achieves state first in new AFib procedure
dbeard@ Vandalia Health Mon Medical Center recently achieved another first-in-state in heart care by combining two technologies to treat atrial fibrillation – AFib. Farapulse images courtesy Boston Scientific Mon Health Heart & Vascular Center electrophysiologist Dr. Salam Sbaity and his team combined the application of the Watchman and the Farapulse Pulsed Field Ablation system – both from Boston Scientific – in a single procedure. AFIb is when the top two chambers of the heart – the atria – beat too fast and with an irregular rhythm (fibrillation), Boston Scientific said. Sbaity explained why combining the two technologies is significant. AFib is the most common abnormal heart rhythm and West Virginia is among the top three states for prevalence. AFib symptoms include palpitations, dizziness and shortness of breath, he said, and can lead to heart failure, blood clots and stroke. There are two main advanced treatments. One is to treat the source of clots and stroke by closing the left atrial appendage, which extends off of the left atrium. The Watchman device is used to close it off. The other is to treat the rhythm itself, he said. Muscle sleeves lead from the atrium into four pulmonary veins and are the source of electrical instability that can start the abnormal rhythm. The abnormal rhythm is treated via cauterization, also known as ablation. The two forms of ablation used are extreme heat – radio frequency ablation – and extreme cold, cryoablation. Boston Scientific announced in January 2024 that the FDA approved a new form, pulsed field ablation, with the Farapulse. The Farapulse catheter is tipped with five circular splines that can change shapes – including a flower – to fit into the entry of veins, circle and isolate them. The Farapulse uses electrical pulses to create pores in the cell membranes and the cells die without heat or freezing, Sbaity said. It's safe for the structure of the veins and structures around them. Boston Scientific reported that 12-month data from a pivotal clinical trial to directly compare the efficacy and safety of the Farapulse system against standard-of-care ablation found that Farapulse therapy was as safe and effective as conventional thermal ablation, with statistically shorter ablation times and a quicker learning curve for physicians. 'That made the procedure itself more effective and more safe,' he said. Sbaity and his partner, Dr. Matt Gaskill, performed the first Farapulse procedure in the state. 'In reviewing the literature for a while, we were seeing that this is the future of ablation.' It's faster, more effective and safer, he said. Both are done via a catheter through the groin and into the same chamber of the heart. So it allows the flexibility to add another procedure without increasing time and risks. The dual procedure has to be guided by internal imaging, and Sbaity took a further advanced step by employing intracardiac ultrasound – also called intracardiac echocardiography, ICE – instead of the usual transesophageal echocardiography, TEE. TEE requires a second physician sending a scope down the throat, posing the risk of esophageal damage, the American Heart Association says. ICE can be performed by the primary physician doing the catheter procedure, avoiding the additional intubation and damage risks. Only 8% of cases of appendage closure in country are done with ICE, Sbaity said. Combining the two procedures, Sbaity said, allows him to offer the patient advanced treatment of both problems, with the risks associated with separate procedures pared down to one, and with reduced recovery time. I think this is the wave of the future, combining the two procedures together whenever both are necessary,' he said. The Mon team is participating in clinical trials comparing appendage closure against blood thinners for people who are not having problems with blood thinners, he said. One study showed closure is better statistically and better in terms of risks. 'I think the other two studies will probably prove the same.' What that means, he said, 'if it goes that way, then anyone on blood thinner who goes for an ablation would as well want to close the appendage.' This would increase the number of patients who benefit from the combined procedure. He expects most patients will want it. Sbaity said he has done just the one combined procedure so far, but five more are scheduled. 'We're proud here at Mon to offer the most advanced technologies for our patients in West Virginia,' he said, 'and we always want to be and have been at the forefront of innovation. That allows the population of West Virginia to have access to the most excellent, best care in the country.'
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Residents turn out for open house on proposed 105-mile power line from Pennsylvania to Virginia
May 12—dbeard @ MORGANTOWN — Several hundred people turned out at the Erickson Alumni Center Monday afternoon for an open house to learn about the proposed NextEra Energy Transmission MidAtlantic Resiliency Link project. They talked with NextEra employees and viewed the rows of posters displaying the possible routes and how the project will progress. The Link is a proposed transmission project to build a new 105-mile 500-kilovolt transmission line potentially in the following counties stretching from Greene County, Pa., to Frederick County, Va. Depending on the route selected, it could pass through Monongalia and Preston counties, along with Hampshire County and Mineral counties, Allegany Garrett counties in Maryland and Fayette County in Pennsylvania. The project also consists of building a new 500 /138-kV substation in Frederick County, Va. PJM Interconnection, the regional 13-state power grid operator, selected it among a number of projects, stemming from its long-range Regional Transmission Expansion Plan, to address reliability issues associated with loss of power generation sources, support for new power sources and additional electricity demand in the region. Landowners came with such questions as if the line would cross the land, how they and the areas would benefit, and if they would be fairly compensated for right-of-way easements. Kaitlin McCormick, senior director of development at NextEra explained the project and answered some questions about it. PJM, she said, is forecasting a loss of about 11 gigawatts of generating capacity along with an increase of 7 GW of power demand in the coming years. "This project is one of the projects that was awarded to help make sure that we have safe, reliable power throughout the region." New transmission lines, she said, provide the opportunity to move electricity from where it is available to help offset where some of the retirements are happening. She didn't have an estimated cost for the project but said ratepayers are charged a transmission fee, approved by their state regulators (the Public Service Commission for West Virginia), on their monthly bills. On the costs, PJM said, "Regional transmission solutions benefit all customers in the PJM footprint." Costs will be allocated through a cost allocation methodology approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. NextEra, McCormick said, worked with a consultant to support a routing study for the project, including environmental and natural resource constraints, and working the state and federal agencies to get their input. "We've been looking at where there are population centers and where there are existing transmission lines or other infrastructure. One of the core tenets of our process is that to the extent that we can, we would like to parallel where there's existing transmission." For most of the route, she said, they will need a 200-foot right of way. They've held a series of open houses — Monday's was fifth and three more are planned, including one at the Bruceton Brandonville VFD in Preston County on Wednesday — to get input from landowners about possible routes and answer their questions. "We have not selected a route yet for this project, " she said, "Our goal is to work with landowners, and to engage them to understand whether or not they have interest, maybe whether their neighbors might have interest, and the goal is to come and to work with the community." A look at the map shows what one NextEra employee called a "spaghetti " of possibilities. Some reach down into Mon and Preston counties, some stay in Greene and Fayette counties before dipping into Maryland. Following the open houses and selecting a route, she said, NextEra is looking to file applications with the PSC and other state's regulators early this fall. A project timeline shows expected state regulatory approvals in spring 2027, start of construction in fall 2029, completion by fall 2031 and lines in service by winter 2031. "We really appreciate the feedback and the engagement from the public, " McCormick said. "Our goal is to have the MidAtlantic Resiliency Link help to provide safe, reliable electric electricity in the region and to support all these local communities in the areas, so we appreciate the feedback." Among the questions landowners asked is how they would benefit from a line passing over their property from Pennsylvania to Virginia. We asked McCormick about the potential benefits. One, she said, is reliable power. Another, high-demand customers will have the opportunity to interconnect — either at the Danville, Md., substation along the Mineral-Allegany line, or at other points they would work out with PJM. And, "there are tax revenue benefits that come in. Here in Mon County, we're looking at $50 million to $100 million over the 40-year life of the project." Landowners along the line will be paid for their easements, she said. And they anticipate several hundred construction jobs during the two-year construction period. Delegates Joe Statler, R-Monongalia, and John Williams, D-Monongalia, were among the local officials attending the open house. Statler said NextEra met with them in Charleston during the legislative session, and learned they want to parallel existing lines as much as possible, and he was at the open house to look at that. And to explore if the new line would benefit existing local power plants. "You've got an open mind." Williams said he came on behalf of a constituent who owns some business property where the line could pass through in Pennsylvania and is concerned. For himself, he said, "The company, the way that they're interacting today, they're being extremely professional answering questions. I've been to a few of these before. I've never seen people so interested in the public input, so I think they're doing a fantastic job with that. I do have some questions on what is this power generation or transmission, rather, what is it going to be used for." Could it be for grid stabilization, do data centers play a role, what would be the power mix feeding the lines. On the topic of data centers, also raised by others at the open house, McCormick said, "PJM's estimates and what they are forecasting holistically is part of what we're looking at." We noted in a report on PJM in January that PJM has warned that a capacity shortage could affect its system as early as the 2026-2027 delivery year, which begins June 1, 2026. Among the factors affecting this are the demand for electricity growing at the fastest pace in years, primarily from the proliferation of data centers, electrification of buildings and vehicles, and manufacturing. NextEra Energy Transmission, a subsidiary of NextEra Energy, operates about 2, 200 circuit miles of transmission lines across North America. NextEra Energy Transmission and its subsidiaries developed, designed and constructed transmission projects across 16 states and Canada.
Dominion Post
13-05-2025
- Business
- Dominion Post
Residents turn out for open house on proposed 105-mile power line from Pennsylvania to Virginia
dbeard@ MORGANTOWN – Several hundred people turned out at the Erickson Alumni Center Monday afternoon for an open house to learn about the proposed NextEra Energy Transmission MidAtlantic Resiliency Link project. They talked with NextEra employees and viewed the rows of posters displaying the possible routes and how the project will progress. The Link is a proposed transmission project to build a new 105-mile 500-kilovolt transmission line potentially in the following counties stretching from Greene County, Pa., to Frederick County, Va. Depending on the route selected, it could pass through Monongalia and Preston counties, along with Hampshire County and Mineral counties, Allegany Garrett counties in Maryland and Fayette County in Pennsylvania. The project also consists of building a new 500/138-kV substation in Frederick County, Va. PJM Interconnection, the regional 13-state power grid operator, selected it among a number of projects, stemming from its long-range Regional Transmission Expansion Plan, to address reliability issues associated with loss of power generation sources, support for new power sources and additional electricity demand in the region. Landowners came with such questions as if the line would cross the land, how they and the areas would benefit, and if they would be fairly compensated for right-of-way easements. Kaitlin McCormick, senior director of development at NextEra explained the project and answered some questions about it. PJM, she said, is forecasting a loss of about 11 gigawatts of generating capacity along with an increase of 7 GW of power demand in the coming years. 'This project is one of the projects that was awarded to help make sure that we have safe, reliable power throughout the region.' New transmission lines, she said, provide the opportunity to move electricity from where it is available to help offset where some of the retirements are happening. She didn't have an estimated cost for the project but said ratepayers are charged a transmission fee, approved by their state regulators (the Public Service Commission for West Virginia), on their monthly bills. On the costs, PJM said, 'Regional transmission solutions benefit all customers in the PJM footprint.' Costs will be allocated through a cost allocation methodology approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. NextEra, McCormick said, worked with a consultant to support a routing study for the project, including environmental and natural resource constraints, and working the state and federal agencies to get their input. 'We've been looking at where there are population centers and where there are existing transmission lines or other infrastructure. One of the core tenets of our process is that to the extent that we can, we would like to parallel where there's existing transmission.' For most of the route, she said, they will need a 200-foot right of way. They've held a series of open houses – Monday's was fifth and three more are planned, including one at the Bruceton Brandonville VFD in Preston County on Wednesday – to get input from landowners about possible routes and answer their questions. 'We have not selected a route yet for this project,' she said, 'Our goal is to work with landowners, and to engage them to understand whether or not they have interest, maybe whether their neighbors might have interest, and the goal is to come and to work with the community.' A look at the map shows what one NextEra employee called a 'spaghetti' of possibilities. Some reach down into Mon and Preston counties, some stay in Greene and Fayette counties before dipping into Maryland. Following the open houses and selecting a route, she said, NextEra is looking to file applications with the PSC and other state's regulators early this fall. A project timeline shows expected state regulatory approvals in spring 2027, start of construction in fall 2029, completion by fall 2031 and lines in service by winter 2031. 'We really appreciate the feedback and the engagement from the public,' McCormick said. 'Our goal is to have the MidAtlantic Resiliency Link help to provide safe, reliable electric electricity in the region and to support all these local communities in the areas, so we appreciate the feedback.' Among the questions landowners asked is how they would benefit from a line passing over their property from Pennsylvania to Virginia. We asked McCormick about the potential benefits. One, she said, is reliable power. Another, high-demand customers will have the opportunity to interconnect – either at the Danville, Md., substation along the Mineral-Allegany line, or at other points they would work out with PJM. And, 'there are tax revenue benefits that come in. Here in Mon County, we're looking at $50 million to $100 million over the 40-year life of the project.' Landowners along the line will be paid for their easements, she said. And they anticipate several hundred construction jobs during the two-year construction period. Delegates Joe Statler, R-Monongalia, and John Williams, D-Monongalia, were among the local officials attending the open house. Statler said NextEra met with them in Charleston during the legislative session, and learned they want to parallel existing lines as much as possible, and he was at the open house to look at that. And to explore if the new line would benefit existing local power plants. 'You've got an open mind.' Williams said he came on behalf of a constituent who owns some business property where the line could pass through in Pennsylvania and is concerned. For himself, he said, 'The company, the way that they're interacting today, they're being extremely professional answering questions. I've been to a few of these before. I've never seen people so interested in the public input, so I think they're doing a fantastic job with that. I do have some questions on what is this power generation or transmission, rather, what is it going to be used for.' Could it be for grid stabilization, do data centers play a role, what would be the power mix feeding the lines. On the topic of data centers, also raised by others at the open house, McCormick said, 'PJM's estimates and what they are forecasting holistically is part of what we're looking at.' We noted in a report on PJM in January that PJM has warned that a capacity shortage could affect its system as early as the 2026-2027 delivery year, which begins June 1, 2026. Among the factors affecting this are the demand for electricity growing at the fastest pace in years, primarily from the proliferation of data centers, electrification of buildings and vehicles, and manufacturing. NextEra Energy Transmission, a subsidiary of NextEra Energy, operates about 2,200 circuit miles of transmission lines across North America. NextEra Energy Transmission and its subsidiaries developed, designed and constructed transmission projects across 16 states and Canada.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
WVU research VP urges faculty to remain calm as federal actions foster uncertainty
May 6—dbeard @ MORGANTOWN — Uncertainty remains the key word as WVU continues to work out how Trump administration executive actions will affect the university. WVU Vice President for Research Fred King and WVU President Gordon Gee both addressed that problem for the Faculty Senate on Monday. King spoke in the context of grants and contracts facing possible termination. "Since the end of January it's been very emotional, " he said. On any given Friday, he said, there's a new executive order. Lawsuits opposing it are filed the following Monday, and a court injunction soon follows. "I think it's important to not be emotional as we think about this. Our approach as a university is to be calm and rational." (For example, WVU faces a loss of $12 million in research funding from a National Institutes of Health cap on funding for indirect research costs at 15 %. In early April a federal judge issued a permanent injunction barring that move, which the NIH is appealing.) King said they work with WVU's legal office and appeal an order when it makes sense to do so. They also work with the state's Congressional delegation, often behind the scenes, trying to help them understand the impacts of the various executive actions. Most of the discussion is behind the scenes, he said, because the situations and negotiations are delicate. Internally, he said, they monitor the actions of three groups for guidance: the Association of Public & Land-Grant Universities Council on Research, the Council of Graduate Schools, and the Council of Government Relations. They hold two two meetings per week, he said. One is an administrative group that review executive actions and impacts, and informs the D.C. delegation. They also look at how the university should respond and how to ameliorate the impacts to campus. The other is with deans and the provost's office to share information. "A lot of work is being done on this although it's not necessarily being done wholly in public, " King said. It's a time to respond rationally and calmly, he said. "Fear and panic does us no good. It hurts our blood pressure, but at the end of the day does not really solve the problem." They solve the problem by working collaboratively with the decision makers in D.C. Gee is retiring at the end of June and made his final presentation to the Faculty Senate. Starting from his first term as WVU president in 1980, he said, he's attended about 150 Senate meetings. "Rather than a collection of buildings, a university is a gathering of scholars, " he said. The current faculty is particularly talented and energetic. "I'm grateful to all of you for the work that you've done." This is a period of transition for WVU and himself, he said, and he views it with optimism. "I have no doubt that the best is yet to come for me, for the university, for all of the people in this room. This is a tumultuous time and we've heard that." WVU is a land-grant, R1 university in a small state and he's often asked how it deals with the tumultuous actions out of D.C. He said, "We are a unique American institution and we make our living off of doing things differently, and being very distinctive. And I think that distinction will serve us very well over the next period of time." Gee and the faculty haven't always had the smoothest relationship. In the midst of academic transformation, in September 2023, the faculty overwhelmingly passed a resolution of no confidence in Gee. But on Monday, following Gee's comments, Faculty Senate chair Diana Davis offered a few words of praise for him, noting his support of shared governance and the role of the Faculty Senate in that shared governance. They don't always agree, but that's how shared governance works. "We do appreciate your willingness to consistently engage with us and to include our perspective in the major decisions of this university, " she said. "We wish you well in retirement."
