Life-Saving Cardiac Cath Lab Unveiled At Peconic Bay Medical Center

RIVERHEAD, NY — A new day is dawning in Riverhead as Peconic Bay Medical Center unveils a cardiac catherization laboratory, which is set to open on Monday.

The new lab can provide new hope in times of crisis, offering life-saving interventional cardiology services, including stenting and balloon angioplasty, for a quarter million East End residents who, in the past, had to travel long distances for the critical services, PBMC representatives said.

On Monday, doctors, nurses and other clinical staff at PBMC engaged in a simulation training.

“The opening of our cath labs marks a major milestone in the transformation of health care quality for our region,” said PBMC CEO and President Andrew J. Mitchell. “For too long, the East End has been isolated from this kind of life-saving medical technology. In situations like a heart attack, when every minute counts, East End residents have had to travel farther for interventional cardiology services than any other residents of the tri-state area.”

At the presentation Monday, staff from Northwell Health’s Center for Learning and Innovation led the simulation training, which included programs to replicate real-life cardiac situations.

“The opportunity to bring cath lab services to the East End is deeply satisfying and a great honor for our entire staff,” said Susan Somerville, RN, PBMC vice president of clinical transformation. “With the opening of our first catheterization suite, we will be providing diagnostic as well as interventional coronary angiography and stent placement for elective, urgent and emergency-level patients. This will finally give East End residents local access to life-saving interventional cardiology services on a 24/7 basis.”

According to a release, Stanley Katz, MD, chief of cardiology at PBMC, heads the hospital’s team of three interventional cardiologists, including Steven Lederman, MD, and Louis Heller, MD.

Also onhand is a support staff of 20 nurses, physician assistants and lab techs.

In addition to emergency services, the lab will also provide diagnostic capabilities for cardiac patients on an elective basis by appointment.

“We are already the only North Fork medical center that serves as both a Level III trauma center and a New York State-designated stroke center,” said Jean M. Cacciabaudo, MD, a cardiologist and PBMC'S medical director.

She added that the facility, supported by Northwell Health’s SkyHealth emergency helicopter transport system, is the first cardiac-focused emergency care of its kind available on the East End.

The new cath lab will be sited on an interim basis in one of the operating suites of Peconic Bay Medical Center’s Kanas Center for Advanced Surgery.

Looking ahead, the cath lab is slated to move to a permanent location in the new Kanas Regional Heart Center in PBMC’s new $65 million critical care tower, which is currently under construction.

The new facility will include an expanded emergency department and stroke center along with two additional cath labs, as well as an electrophysiology lab and a comprehensive array of cardiac services, PBMC said.

Patch photo courtesy PBMC.