by
John R. Fischer, Senior Reporter | July 19, 2023
Mount Sinai Queens has opened the first cardiac catheterization lab in Astoria.
Mount Sinai Queens has opened the first cardiac catheterization lab in Astoria, expediting the time in which hundreds of patients can access treatment for life-threatening emergencies, scheduled cardiac procedures, and certain elective procedures.
The lab, which will serve residents in western Queens and surrounding areas, will be made up of 14 specialists, including interventional cardiologists, nurses, and technicians, led by director Atul Kukar, DO, and will reduce the number of patients transferred annually from the emergency department to the cath lab at the Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan.
The painless procedure usually results in quick recoveries and discharges, and improves patients’ quality of life. In addition to conducting routine percutaneous coronary intervention, staff will facilitate stenting for severely blocked coronary arteries that cause chest pain or shortness of breath; catheterizations to measure function in heart failure patients for managing symptoms; and implanting pacemakers and defibrillators for abnormal heart rhythms.
“Cardiac care will be further enhanced at the end of this year with the opening of a new Mount Sinai Health System Cardiovascular Institute at Mount Sinai Queens,” said Dr. Cameron Hernandez, executive director and chief operating officer of Mount Sinai Queens, in a statement.
The cardiac catheterization lab will offer elective and emergency coronary intervention 24/7. Patients initially evaluated and treated at Mount Sinai Queens who are found to have serious conditions that require procedures such as open heart surgery or aortic valve replacements will be transferred to Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan, which is fully integrated with Mount Sinai Queens and its cath lab.
Jefferson Memorial Hospital, in Jefferson City, Tennessee, opened its own cardiac cath lab earlier this month, which also will eliminate the need for it to transfer patients to Knoxville each year for cardiac care,
according to the Standard Banner.
Mount Sinai Health System is one of the largest academic medical centers in the New York metro area, with eight hospitals, over 400 outpatient practices, nearly 300 labs, and schools for nursing, medicine, and graduate education. It employs 43,000 individuals and approximately 7,300 primary and specialty care physicians.
Mount Sinai Queens has nearly 500 physicians in 40 medical and surgical specialties and subspecialties, and has cared for patients for over 120 years.
