On July 3, 1990, Agatha Plank, 73, of Cedar was the first person to undergo open-heart surgery at Munson Medical Center. The three-hour coronary artery bypass operation was uneventful and she recovered nicely.
“Mrs. Plank demonstrated great courage, grace, and unmistakable calm throughout her hospitalization and thereafter,” said Daniel Drake, MD, one of the two surgeons who performed the procedure.
“She didn’t seem to be afraid of the surgery,” said her daughter, Mary Ann Duperon of Lake Leelanau. “She knew this was going to make her better and that was that. Afterwards, she was much happier and she had a lot of energy.”
Agatha lived for another 15 years to enjoy playing cards, fishing, camping, cooking, quilting, and most of all, her family. She took great pride in her grandchildren and great grandchildren. She eventually passed away in a nursing home just 10 days before her 88th birthday.
Since Agatha’s surgery, nearly 15,000 patients have had open-heart operations at Munson Medical Center.
“Munson Medical Center and all heart bypass patients who followed will forever be indebted to her for being the first to entrust her life to Munson Medical Center’s open-heart program,” Drake said.
Many people from multiple disciplines were involved in the launch of the highly successful open-heart program at Munson Medical Center. John “Jack” Bay, president of Munson Medical Center until 1990, reflected years later that establishment of the open-heart program elevated the entire hospital to a higher level of advanced care and quality on its journey to becoming the leading regional referral center in northern Michigan. Ralph Cerny, who succeeded Bay in 1990 as hospital president and CEO, cited the development of the open heart program as one of the most significant achievements that took place during his time at the hospital’s helm.
Munson Medical Center’s open-heart team was largely recruited from the University of Michigan Medical Center. The original concept of a University of Michigan based open-heart team in Traverse City arose from conversations between anesthesiologists Mark Munro, MD, and Robert Cline, MD, and cardiothoracic surgeon Daniel Drake, MD. Drake and Munro were colleagues in training at both Parkland Hospital in Dallas and the University of Michigan Medical Center. Cline had recently joined Munson Medical Center’s staff from the University of Pennsylvania.
Those who left the University of Michigan to join Munson Medical Center’s staff in the spring of 1990 included cardiothoracic surgeon Mack Stirling, MD, who was an assistant professor of surgery; Drake, who was cardiothoracic surgery chief resident, as well as physician assistant Karen Tosiello, PA-C; perfusionist Roy Bolles, CCP; and adult cardiac surgery intensive care nurse Michelle Kauer (Recchia), RN.
Agatha’s surgical team included the former U-M personnel, plus surgical technician Ron Butts, SA; anesthesiologists Mark Munro, MD, Robert Cline, MD, and Vince Macke, MD; circulating nurses Launa Rehard, RN, and Lynn Larsen, RN; and practice manager Ann Butts. All living members of the original open-heart team remain in the Grand Traverse area and/or are associated with Munson Healthcare services. Agatha’s referring physicians were primary care provider Larry Thompson, MD, and cardiologist John Raftery, MD.
Munson Medical Center’s open-heart program has enjoyed excellent results with a documented commitment to quality. In addition to conventional procedures, new cardiothoracic surgical services developed for Munson Medical Center include the surgical treatment of atrial fibrillation, image-guided mitral and tricuspid valve repair, off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting, endoscopic vein harvest, minimally invasive valve replacement, transcatheter aortic-valve replacement, correction of left-ventricular outflow tract obstruction, thoracic aortic endografting, and video assisted general thoracic surgery.
Munson Medical Center’s open-heart program was a Medicare Center of Excellence finalist and has received numerous awards and recognition during the past 25 years. In 2010, Munson Medical Center was named one of the nation’s Top 50 Cardiovascular Hospitals, and has been named a Top 100 Cardiovascular Hospital six times. In 2012, Cardiothoracic Surgeons of Grand Traverse was ranked #1 in Michigan by Consumers Report for coronary bypass grafting. In 2013, a peer reviewed publication demonstrated Munson Medical Center’s aortic valve replacement program had the best results of any major program in Michigan. And, in 2014 and 2015, peer reviewed publications demonstrated that Munson Medical Center has some of the best results and most progressive approaches reported for mitral valve surgery.