Southampton Hospital Receives Approval For New Cardiac Cath Lab

SOUTHAMPTON, NY — Patients in life-or-death situations will soon have critically needed help, closer to home.

Southampton Hospital announced this week that it has received approval from the New York State Department of Health to create a cardiac catheterization and electrophysiology laboratory at its Audrey and Martin Gruss Heart & Stroke Center, a release said.

The news means East End residents and visitors will be able to access life-saving diagnostics and treatment and access to cardiac catheterization without having to be transferred by ambulance — something that can mean the difference between life and death, the release said.

“We greatly appreciate the Department of Health for recognizing the critical need for a facility of this kind on the South Fork of Long Island. Our application was supported by our board of directors, leadership and planners at Stony Brook Medicine, our physicians and hospital staff, and many members of the communities we serve. This NYSDOH approval brings critical care technology close to home for many people and it is a harbinger of the significant technical advances we will see through our partnership with Stony Brook Medicine,” said Robert Chaloner, Hospital President & CEO.

The addition of the service will promote improvements in cardiac health outcomes for residents in eastern Suffolk County, the release said.

"The cardiac catheterization laboratory will be an adult PCI-capable laboratory where patients will undergo cardiac catheterization and coronary angiography procedures to define coronary anatomy and treat stenosis and blockages when indicated using percutaneous intervention such as stenting," the release noted.

The program will be operated under the clinical oversight of Stony Brook University Hospital, and policies and procedures currently in place at SBUH for its cardiac catheterization and EP services will be incorporated into the operation of the laboratory at Southampton Hospital, the release said.

“Residents of Eastern Long Island will enjoy greater access to timely cardiac care because of the close collaboration and exceptional leadership between Stony Brook Medicine and Southampton Hospital in gaining approval for this new facility,” said L. Reuven Pasternak, MD, MPH, MBA, CEO, Stony Brook University Hospital and Vice President for Health Systems, Stony Brook Medicine.

Peconic Bay Medical Center in Riverhead also announced that the facility had received approval for a new cath lab this week.

Patch file photo.