Cedars-Sinai Blog
Innovation Across Generations
Dr. Ivor Geft ducked into patient rooms with a stethoscope dangling around his neck when he was a resident at Cedars-Sinai in 1980. Now his son Dr. Dael Geft walks those same halls to see patients, only he carries an ultrasound machine in his pocket.
It's just one way two generations of cardiologists still in practice marvel at how much heart disease treatment has changed. Still the leading cause of death in the US, with cancer in second place, the father and son are fighting heart disease and working towards life-saving treatments.
"This is why I chose cardiology."
A milestone in cardiology
Dr. Ivor Geft began his career at Cedars-Sinai training under Dr. Jeremy Swan and Dr. William Ganz, pioneers in the diagnosis of cardiovascular disease and inventors of the Swan-Ganz Pulmonary Artery (PAC) Catheter.
Previously, catheters were larger in size and inserted through the groin, threading through the veins, to the heart. Swan and Ganz revolutionized the old model by reducing the size of the tubing and adding a balloon tip that could sense pulmonary blood flow and detect abnormalities. The new instrument provided invaluable information for heart attack patients and helped cardiologists detect complicated heart disease cases.
The innovation not only delivered swift results, with less complications, it also catapulted Swan and Ganz into legendary status. To this day, the Swan-Ganz catheter is used worldwide to diagnose heart conditions including pulmonary hypertension, heart valve disease, and structural problems that could lead to heart failure.
"I remember Dr. Swan looking into an artery, and writing in his notebook," Ivor Geft shared, recalling what it was like to work beside the storied doctors. The excitement of their discovery marked a milestone in cardiology, and began Ivor Geft's career.
Another special moment was welcoming his son, Dr. Dael Geft, on the first day of his residency at Cedars-Sinai in 2008. Dael Geft makes his mark as an award winning cardiologist at the Smidt Heart Institute.
Like father, like son
"A lot has changed," Dael Geft notes. Some of the most tedious surgical procedures that his father studied as a medical student and performed as a doctor are now non-invasive, don't require a lengthy hospital stay, and leave a tiny scar.
"Modern technology allows, through an incision in the leg or arm, a catheter to deploy a valve into the heart," says Dael Geft, who is continually inspired by the rapid growth in the field of cardiology taking place in the Cedars-Sinai laboratories.
"This is why I chose cardiology," he says.
"I still call him and ask for advice."
Both doctors treat patients with an exciting new wave of artificial heart technology.
"Previously, a heart transplant candidate could use an artificial heart as a bridge to transplant for up to 3 years. Soon we expect to see artificial hearts take the place of transplantation altogether," says Dael Geft.
Father and son are equally amazed by the major advancements, and sharing their knowledge with each other is a large part of the symbiotic relationship that benefits their patients.
"I still call him and ask for advice," says Dael Geft.
As a part of the heart failure and transplant team, Dael Geft is on the front lines of immune system science that is making it possible for more people to receive heart transplants. He's also pioneering stem cell research, an approach that treats heart disease by regenerating cardiac cells in a laboratory and implanting the cells into the diseased organ.
"We have actually gotten a heart to beat in a Petri dish," Dael Geft remarks of the possibility of making heart disease a chronic illness and eliminating the need for transplants.
Always home for dinner
Beyond their work with patients, both doctors are proud of another accomplishment: They always make it home for dinner. It's a tradition that was passed from father to son.
"Now when I meet residents who I haven't seen for many years, what they remember me by is the fact that I would go home for dinner," says Ivor Geft. "And I feel very proud about having made that mark."
