When Tampa resident Art Pepin discovered he needed a heart transplant in 1986, the nearest option was more than 500 miles away. After returning home, Pepin put his money where his heart was, and the Pepin Heart Institute began. Three and a half decades later, it is the gold standard in heart care for the Tampa Bay community and region.
“There is only one Pepin Heart Institute,” says Vice President and Administrator, Bob Brown. “We have a thriving program, do world-class clinical research and use the latest and greatest technology."
Transforming the region’s heart care
It’s been an exciting journey for the Pepin Heart Institute over the past 35 years:
Our specialists performed the first cardiovascular surgery shortly after our first cardiology care unit opened in 1989.
- By 1990, we had two cardiac catheterization labs, with a third added in 1997 and newly renovated suites in 2019. Our sophisticated technologies continue to help people with serious cardiovascular and neurological conditions.
- In 1993, a new, five-bed chest pain emergency room became the first in Tampa to offer this lifesaving service.
- 2006 ushered in a new era in comprehensive, regional heart care with the opening of the elegant, 125,000-square-foot AdventHealth Pepin Heart Institute.
“Along the way, something special happened in our cardiology community. We developed a remarkable sense of camaraderie among competing groups. We're all friends, and we have a lot of respect for each other," says James Smith, MD, interventional cardiologist at Pepin Heart Institute.
"Our actions speak louder than words. You can’t have a successful heart center without acknowledging and caring for people, and that’s something we strive to do every day,” says Brown. “Cardiac cases are often the worst days in people’s lives. It’s crucial to give people the love and grace they need to get through it."
Comprehensive, collaborative care
“We collaborate on trials, and when things go wrong in an emergency or complication, our colleagues are there to help. This is rare and probably our greatest asset,” adds Dr. Smith. “Patients don’t just get one doctor’s skill set. They get the expertise of the entire institution.”
This innovative team approach gets results. AdventHealth Tampa was:
First in Tampa and among the first in the nation to perform the TAVR procedure.
- First in Tampa to offer the Watchman procedure to reduce stroke risk in patients with AFib.
- Among the first in the nation to use the Impella RP heart pump for right-side heart failure.
- First in the West Florida region to offer the innovative Optimizer Smart Mini CCM Delivery System for patients experiencing heart failure.
“The Pepin Heart Institute is home to high-level specialists with a shared passion and purpose. We’re driven by a desire to turn some of life’s most heartbreaking moments into healthier outcomes and a new lease on life. We’re focused on the patients, families and communities we’re privileged to serve,” says Charles Lambert, MD, Medical Director for the Cardiovascular Institute at AdventHealth West Florida.
“One of the best things about medicine is that it pays in different currencies,” says Dr. Smith. “You can make a nickel in medicine but it's a different kind of a currency when you develop a new technique, and somebody gets better. When you see that guy back in your office a month after he came in with no vital signs – it’s the best stuff in the world.”
A tradition of caring, a legacy of hope
Because of the Pepin family’s generosity, people in Tampa Bay and the surrounding region no longer have to travel far from home for the life-saving care they need.
Each year, the specialists at the Pepin Heart Institute treat > 300 chest pain emergencies and perform:
- Over 1,446 cardiovascular surgeries
- More than 800 TAVR procedures
- 10,637 catheter-based procedures
“This level of comprehensive heart care close to home wouldn’t have been possible without the Pepin family’s remarkable vision and generosity,” says Dr. Lambert. “Art Pepin and his son Tom Pepin realized their dream of transforming heart care for the Tampa Bay community. The Pepin family continues to bring new hope to patients and families like their own. We are deeply grateful to them and for all our benefactors.”
To learn more about the Pepin Heart Institute and to schedule an appointment with an expert near you, please visit AdventHealthPepinHeart.com.
