Cedars-Sinai

A visual storytelling highlights the Heart Institute’s annual accomplishments.

We envisioned an annual report pairing Joanna Chikwe, MD, Chair of the Department of Cardiac Surgery at Cedars-Sinai and Seattle-based artist Kanako Abe.

Abe hand-cuts intricate paper pieces using the Japanese art of Ise katagami, a traditional technique employed to create patterns on kimono fabric. Her deft hands guided these cutting tools—implements that look eerily similar to surgical scalpels—to create stunning paper images symbolizing cardiovascular care.

The entire root system of this tree takes the classic form of the coronary circulation, which supplies the heart with nutrients and supports life.

The mountain ranges forming the vista in this image depict the typical pressure waveform created by a rescue device used to support a failing heart, known as an intra-aortic balloon pump.

Plaque build-up inside an artery can reduce blood flow to the heart, causing coronary heart disease or heart attacks. The trunk of the palm tree represents a stent—a tiny tube that can play a big role in helping to keep arteries open.

This image represents the continuum of congenital care from birth through adulthood. In the background are electrocardiogram tracings commonly seen in patients with congenital heart disease.

A transcatheter aortic valve implant appears four times in this illustration, once as the vase containing three flowers, each of which contains the classic configuration of the transcatheter valve leaflets at its center.

The safety parachute in this illustration is based on the appearance of the WATCHMAN implant, which is designed to reduce the risk of stroke by preventing blood clots from forming inside the heart.

This artwork shows an eruption about to block a major passageway, representing unstable atherosclerotic plaques that can suddenly rupture, triggering blood clots which block coronary blood flow and cause heart attacks.

The tree depicted in this illustration represents an aortic dissection, in which the healthy circulation to much of the body can be suddenly lost. This life-threatening condition was successfully treated in a woman who was 32 weeks pregnant.