Auburn Community Hospital has performed its first cardiac catheterization, marking a major expansion of cardiac care services in Cayuga County.
The procedure was completed Tuesday morning, Jan. 13, by Dr. Jay Varanasi, chief of the Auburn Heart & Vascular Institute, in a newly outfitted interventional radiology suite. Later that night, the team performed an emergency cardiac catheterization on a patient experiencing a STEMI, a life-threatening type of heart attack that requires rapid intervention. Hospital officials said both procedures were successful and the patients are recovering.
Cardiac catheterization, considered the gold standard for diagnosing and treating blocked coronary arteries, previously required patients in Cayuga County to travel nearly an hour or more to receive care. With the service now available locally, Emergency Medical Services can transport patients showing heart attack symptoms directly to Auburn Community Hospital for immediate treatment.
“Diseases of the heart are the leading cause of death for Cayuga County residents,” hospital President and CEO Scott Berlucchi said. “Yesterday, ACH began to change that, along with our partners from the University of Rochester Medical Center. This drastically changes cardiac care for our friends, family and neighbors.”
The service is available 24 hours a day and can be performed as a scheduled procedure or as an emergency, life-saving intervention.
“With the opening of the catheterization lab, we’re now able to perform heart catheterizations, coronary angiograms, angioplasties, and stent placements for patients with low- to medium-risk coronary lesions,” Varanasi said. “In heart attacks and other emergencies, every minute matters, and being able to treat patients locally can make a real difference in outcomes.”
Hospital officials said the expansion was funded in part through New York state transformation grant funding and private donations, including a $1 million gift from the Wayne family.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house are planned, with a date to be announced.
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