St. Mary Medical Center and Nazareth Hospital are Partnering to Expand the Scope of Regional Heart Care
St. Mary Medical Center in Langhorne, Pa. and Nazareth Hospital in Northeast Philadelphia, both part of Trinity Health, announce a new partnership to strengthen regional excellence in cardiovascular care. Now St. Mary interventional cardiologists will be available onsite at Nazareth Hospital to perform emergency cardiac catheterizations as well as scheduled catheterization procedures. Dr. Mrugesh Patel, PhD, will serve as Medical Director of Nazareth’s Heart and Vascular Lab.
Cardiac catheterizations performed by interventional cardiologists are life-saving interventions used to open a blocked artery and restore blood flow to stop a heart attack and minimize damage to the heart muscle. The safety, survival and long-term outcomes of patients with a potential heart attack coming to the emergency room are greatly increased with the availability of physicians skilled in these intricate interventions. In addition, patients identified at risk for a heart attack because of blockages in blood vessels can schedule a catheterization to be performed in the Nazareth catheterization lab to prevent a heart attack from occurring.
Experienced cardiologists at the St. Mary catheterization laboratories perform more than 3000 procedures annually and contribute to St. Mary being among the most successful hospitals nationwide in performing emergency angioplasty. Having a dedicated team of highly skilled interventional cardiologists on site at Nazareth enhances patient safety and the overall health interests of those in the community.
“Working together, Nazareth, St. Mary, and the medical cardiologists of Mercy Cardiology will build on Nazareth’s nationally recognized cardiovascular care. Through our partnership with St. Mary, patients have access to a broader and more comprehensive continuum of heart care services,” said Nancy Cherone, FACHE, Executive Director of Nazareth Hospital.
Nazareth has a well-established heart and vascular center with experienced medical cardiologists to diagnose and treat the full spectrum of cardiovascular diseases. Interventional cardiologists from St. Mary will work in collaboration with the medical cardiologists at Nazareth to expand and advance treatments for heart disease.
“We are pleased to work with Nazareth Hospital to expand access to cardiovascular care in the community,” says Dr. Mrugesh Patel. “Time is the most important element when you’re treating a heart attack patient, and we will work collectively and collaboratively to have the appropriate protocols and staffing in place to provide the best patient outcomes.”
Although most heart attacks can be treated successfully with catheterization and angioplasty, for some open-heart surgery is the best option. St. Mary has the exceptional surgical capability to provide that option in the event that a patient needs open-heart surgery. Complex intervention cases also can be transferred to St. Mary as needed.
In joining forces to regionalize services, Nazareth will now be able to offer expanded specialty heart care backed by the St. Mary Heart and Vascular Center, which has distinguished itself as a regional leader in providing leading-edge treatment for heart disease. Through the partnership, patients also will have access to the entire range of cardiothoracic surgery and electrophysiology programs that St. Mary offers.
Heart disease remains the leading cause of death for both men and women. About 600,000 people die of heart disease in the United States every year – that’s 1 in every 4 deaths.
For more information contact Christy McCabe, cmccabe@mercyhealth.org, 215.962.9893, www.MercyHealth.org and Kathleen Smith, ksmith@stmaryhealthcare.org, 215.710.2090, www.StMaryHealthcare.org.