When William “Randy” Condos, Jr., MD, retired cardiologist, began his medical career, he never expected to land at Lake Charles Memorial Hospital for 21 years. He tirelessly dedicated his career to advancements in cardiac care, making sure that Lake Charles Memorial Heart and Vascular Center was on the map. While his career gained momentum, the medical community, worldwide, was on the cusp of something great: the coronary artery stent. It would revolutionize the field of cardiology and would soon become widely accepted and inevitably save the lives of many people. This new and innovative technology allowed for a small, metal mesh tube to be expanded inside a coronary artery. It helps prevent the artery from closing up again. It is placed during or immediately following an angioplasty procedure. Dr. Condos had been given the opportunity to be among some of the first physicians in the country to train in this technique while at Brooke Army Medical Center in Fort Sam Houston, Texas, during the 1980s. He trained under Richard A. Schatz, MD, one of the developers of the first coronary artery stent approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Little did he know, this was a great gift that he would bring to Lake Charles Memorial Hospital. Selfless service Dr. Condos ushered in a new era of cardiac care to the Lake Charles Region Making a name for himself Dr. Condos arrived in Lake Charles on July 1, 1991, to a brandnew cath lab and to a community that desperately needed more options for heart and vascular care. There was only one problem: He needed to get the word out to patients and providers that he was here. He worked diligently with his team to arrange speaking and promotional opportunities. He began to build his practice from the ground up and got to know the community. His practice grew rapidly, and after a year, he was joined by a second cardiologist. During his time at Lake Charles Memorial, Dr. Condos and the team he built helped many people in southwest Louisiana relieve leg pain caused by peripheral artery disease, placed coronary stents, and performed a number of other heart and vascular treatments. From July 1997 until he retired in April 2012, he served as the Medical Director of Cardiology. The Memorial cardiology program would not be what it is today without the selfless service of Dr. Condos. Continuing his legacy Today, Dr. Condos remains on the Board of Trustees for Lake Charles Memorial Health System. He is a trusted counsel and advocate for Memorial, especially in the realm of cardiovascular services, such as the transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) procedure. “I’m on a mission to get influential people inside the cath lab viewing area, watching these TAVR procedures as a way to support this hospital,” Dr. Condos says. “I love to educate and bring to light the incredible work that Memorial provides for the community.” Lake Charles Memorial Health System was fortunate to have Dr. Condos herald a new era of cardiac care in our region and lay the groundwork for what is to come. “Thank you to the cardiac inpatient, cardiac cath lab, heart and vascular clinic, and cardiovascular surgical teams who provided strong support to me and to the growth of cardiac services. You made my work life easier.” —William “Randy” Condos, Jr., MD Dr. Condos has been dedicated to the Lake Charles region since he arrived in the early ‘90s. Dr. Condos with Karen Kleinman, Practice Manager/Director of 21 years. lcmh.com 15
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NzIxMDA=