Lifeline Within

Exploring the intricate vascular system, Baxter Health welcomes two new surgeons, Dr. Nestor Arita and Dr. Heath Broussard, to enhance patient care and expand services

The body is an amazing creation, a finely engineered machine that incorporates some of the most sophisticated systems ever seen. Within each of us lies a complex integrated network that rivals anything we as a species have created, from the supercomputer of the human brain to the tireless power plant of the heart to the brilliant framework of bones, muscles and tendons by which we move, work and live.

Not the least of these incredible structures is the vascular system, the network of piping that carries blood to and from organs and extremities. Maintaining this intricate system are vascular surgeons who work to keep the river of life flowing.

“The way I describe vascular surgery to a layperson is that it is a field that deals with pathology or disease processes of arteries and veins,” said Dr. Nestor Arita, a member of the vascular team at Baxter Health. “Predominantly, the territory of the vascular surgeon will be in the head or neck region, the arms, legs, abdomen and almost any blood vessel outside of the heart in the chest.

“In terms of specific disease processes, some of the most common disease processes we deal with are basically blockages or aneurysms that lead to different problems, depending on where they are located within the body.”

Arita is the latest surgeon to join the Baxter Health team, having arrived from a regional hospital in Jackson, Tennessee, in August. His arrival comes on the heels of Dr. Heath Broussard, who joined Baxter Health in March and also came here from Jackson, Tennessee. The two newcomers join Baxter Health vascular surgeon Dr. Kent Nachitgal to create a formidable pool of experience and expertise in the area of vascular medicine.

“(Baxter is) definitely in a growth and developmental stage in its specialties,” Broussard said. “They’ve had vascular surgery for as long as you can count, but it’s usually always been one person. It’s hard for one person to provide full service 24/7, 365.

“I’d been in private practice for 25 years, and I wasn’t looking for a job, but I was encouraged to come check out Mountain Home. I came up for an interview and was very impressed with the culture and the hospital. I think (Baxter Health CEO and President) Ron Peterson has helped develop an excellent patient-focused culture in the hospital. It’s something that’s very noticeable to me, having traveled all over the country and getting to see many hospital systems.”

Broussard, a Louisiana native who received his medical training at LSU, was so taken with what he saw that he actively recruited Arita to join him, having worked together on complex cases back in Tennessee.

“There’s a strong foundation at Baxter Health. A lot of the infrastructure that you need for these types of procedures is actually there with room for growth,” said Arita, who earned his medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. “I’m specifically referring to the hybrid room, which is an operating room that’s equipped to do open surgery and then also do a lot of these minimally invasive techniques that are prevalent in our industry. Working for a hospital that’s so progressive is important because that’s the kind of mindset that you need to have in order to grow a vascular surgery program.

“I also felt that there was an opportunity here to have, hopefully, a significant impact. There’s a lot of need in the area. As a department, we’re hoping we can provide new services and new surgery care for the immediate and outlying community. I’m hopeful to just be able to go in and really expand on that and perhaps bring in some new techniques to what is already a very strong program.”