St. Mary celebrates 10th anniversary of advanced cardiac catheterization labs

The Langhorne-based hospital has averaged more than 3,000 catheterizations a year since 2009

The Times

St. Mary Medical Center recently celebrated the 10th anniversary of the opening of its advanced Heart and Vascular Center. The four advanced cardiac catheterization labs that make up the center, which opened in February 2009, have state-of-the-art procedure rooms and medical technologies.

“Since opening the advanced cath lab, St. Mary has averaged more than 3,000 catheterizations each year, making it one of the busiest and most experienced cardiac catheterization labs in the Greater Philadelphia area,” said Ronald Fields, MD, medical director of St. Mary’s Heart and Vascular Center. “For 10 years, our experienced medical team and advanced technology have helped save tens of thousands of patients in our region and improve their overall heart and vascular health.”

The most common procedures performed by St. Mary’s advanced team of cardiac interventionists include diagnostic catheterizations, and emergency balloon angioplasties involving both the heart as well as the peripheral circulation in the legs.

According to Fields, St. Mary’s cardiac catheterization team consistently beats the national average for door-to-balloon time, which is the length of time between when a patient enters the emergency department and when the patient receives a balloon angioplasty to restore blood flow. A decade ago, the national average for door-to-balloon time was 96 minutes. Today, most hospitals have improved that average time to about 60 minutes. St. Mary’s average time is less than 53 minutes.

“We are happy to celebrate our medical achievements over the last decade and in recent years, but we cannot rest on our laurels,” Fields said. “As heart disease continues to be the nation’s number one cause of death, our team will stay updated on the latest technologies and methods to ensure we remain the area’s leader for catheter-based procedures.”

For more information, visit stmaryhealthcare.org/heart