A Guide to Mechanical Circulatory Support

Scott Stewart, DNP, APNC, CNL is the supervisor of the mechanical circulatory support program at Hackensack University Medical Center in Hackensack, NJ, USA. He began his VAD career at New York Presbyterian Hospital- Columbia as a staff nurse on the VAD surgical stepdown unit and quickly advanced to the role of VAD coordinator. His focus has been on process improvement and streamlining patient care pathways. His research interest focuses on process improvement for emergency management providers. He has been published in multiple peer reviewed journals regarding the care of VAD patients. He is a current member of the International Society of Heart and Lung Transplantation and the International Consortium of Circulatory Assist Clinicians. Scott holds a Bachelors of Science in Molecular Biology from Montclair State University, and obtained his entry into nursing by attaining a Masters of Nursing as part of the inaugural class of the Clinical Nurse Leader program at Seton Hall University. He later received his Doctorate in Nursing Practice from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.

Peggy Blood MSN, RN is the Nursing Director for the Department of Mechanical Circulatory Support (MCS) at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital (UABH), USA. She began her career in medical/surgical critical care nursing and found her passion in the management of advanced heart failure patients. She joined the Advanced Heart Failure/Heart Transplant team in 1990 at UABH as a Thoracic Transplant Coordinator. As the CNS in the Heart and Lung Transplant ICU, she created the VAD Coordinator role and formal VAD Program at UAB. Her current responsibilities include administering the durable VAD, ECMO and acute circulatory support programs within the Department of MCS. Peggy has presented nationally and internationally and has numerous peer reviewed publications on outcomes of MCS therapy. She was instrumental in establishing the International Consortium of Circulatory Assist Clinicians (ICCAC) in 2007 and later served as board member, Treasurer and President. She is also an active member of ASAIO and ISHLT. Peggy obtained her Associate Degree in Nursing from Kent State Ashtabula Campus, Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Georgetown University and her Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). She received post graduate certifications as a Family Nurse Practitioner, Healthcare Administration and Healthcare Quality and Safety from UAB.