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Jayson R. White, Public Relations Manager
Telephone: (518) 926-1846
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Email: GFHInternet@glensfallshosp.org
Glens Falls Hospital approved
for elective angioplasty
GLENS FALLS – Glens Falls Hospital announced today that it has received state
Department of Health approval to begin performing elective angioplasty
procedures in select patients, one of only five community hospitals without
open-heart surgery programs in New York state given permission to conduct this
life-saving procedure to unclog blocked coronary arteries.
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State Sen. Betty Little, R-Queensbury, announces Glens Falls Hospital has received elective angioplasty approval. |
“Glens Falls Hospital is extremely proud of its selection for this pilot
program,” said David G. Kruczlnicki, President and CEO, Glens Falls Hospital.
“The real winners of the state’s decision are North County residents, who can
rely on Glens Falls Hospital for years to come to meet their cardiovascular and
critical care needs.”
State Sen. Betty Little, R-Queensbury, on hand for the announcement, expressed
her gratitude on behalf of her constituents — patients and their families — who
previously had to travel to Albany hospitals for elective angioplasty.
“Emergency angioplasties performed at Glens Falls Hospital over the past few
years have saved many lives,” Senator Little said. “In the process, the
professional and dedicated staff of surgeons, physicians, nurses and
administrators has proven to the state Department of Health that Glens Falls
Hospital is fully capable of doing more than emergency procedures. Offering
elective angioplasty will enable heart patients to stay closer to home, which is
certainly a tremendous benefit to them and their families. This is a great
achievement for our hospital and great news for the region.”
In April 2003, Glens Falls Hospital was one of a handful of hospitals granted
permission by the DOH to perform emergency angioplasties as part of a pilot
project. Previous policy in New York state restricted percutaneous coronary
intervention (PCI), also known as angioplasty, to catheterization lab centers
with cardiac surgery programs. In light of recent studies and technical
advances, the DOH reconsidered this policy and granted a temporary waiver to a
handful of hospitals, including Glens Falls Hospital. Since that time, the
Hospital has successfully treated nearly 200 patients and met all the DOH and
Cardiac Advisory Committee requirements.
The state expanded emergency angioplasty criteria after studies indicated that
patients suffering from acute myocardial infarctions (AMI) had better outcomes
when emergency balloon angioplasty was performed as opposed to just
administering clot-busting medications. During the procedure, doctors thread a
balloon catheter through a small incision in the patient’s upper thigh, feeding
it through the coronary artery until it reaches the blockage. Upon reaching the
clog, the balloon on the end of the catheter is inflated, expanding the walls of
the artery and restoring the flow of blood. A small wire tube, called a stent,
is left inside the artery to hold open the walls, and act as a tunnel for the
blood to flow through.
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Previously, Glens Falls Hospital cardiologists relied on clot-busting
medications to dissolve coronary artery blockages, later conducting diagnostic
cardiac catheterizations to determine the extent of the blockage. If further
intervention was necessary, stabilized patients were then transferred to an
Albany hospital.
Twelve New York hospitals applied for the elective angioplasty pilot program.
Among those receiving DOH approval are: Elmhurst Hospital Center in Elmhurst;
Park Ridge Hospital in Rochester; South Nassau Communities Hospital in
Oceanside; and Southside Hospital in Bay Shore.
According to Robert Hogan, MD, Juckett Family Cardiac-Vascular
Center medical director, cardiologists could begin elective angioplasty procedures
sometime later this fall, pending receipt of new cardiology equipment for one of
the Northwest Tower’s fourth-floor catheterization suites. With more than 334
patients referred to Albany hospitals for elective angioplasty last year, Dr.
Hogan, with Adirondack Cardiology Associates, projects Glens Falls Hospital will
perform 150 elective angioplasties in the program’s first year.
“We’ve gone through a period of tremendous oversight in performing angioplasties
in emergency situations,” Dr. Hogan said. “We know our ability to deliver
quality outcomes is safe and effective and now far more convenient for the
patient.”
However, Dr. Hogan cautioned that not every elective angioplasty case will be
done at Glens Falls Hospital; some higher-risk cases requiring surgical backup
may still need to go to Albany hospitals.
The elective angioplasty program doesn’t call for hiring any initial additional
staff or physicians, although a second cardiac interventional will eventually
need to be hired to share Dr. Hogan’s case load.
Glens Falls Hospital is a 410-bed, not-for-profit, community hospital serving a
six-county region of northeastern New York. With more than 2,900 employees, it
is the largest health care provider between Albany and Montreal, offering
inpatient and outpatient care, including emergency care, medicine/surgery,
obstetrics, coronary care, cancer care, physical and occupational
rehabilitation, and community services.
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