NASSAU UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER IMPLANTS ITS FIRST INTERNAL CARDIAC DEFIBRILLATOR
August 12, 2009
Contact: Shelley Lotenberg
(516) 572-6055
shelley@numc.edu
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
NASSAU UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER IMPLANTS ITS FIRST INTERNAL CARDIAC DEFIBRILLATOR
47 YEAR OLD FREEPORT RESIDENT GRATEFUL THAT DOCTORS SAVED HIS LIFE AS A RESULT OF PERFORMING FIRST ICD AT NUMC
East Meadow, NY……Nassau University Medical Center (NUMC) announced late today having performed their first implantable defibrillator. The device known as an ICD is about the size of a pager device and is implanted under the skin with connecting wires that deliver a life-saving shock right into the heart. Such life-saving therapies were previously performed only in hospitals with very advanced resources. “By making implantation of this device possible at NUMC, we are able to deliver the most advanced cardiac care to patients in our community”, affirmed Arthur Gianelli, President/CEO of the Nassau County Health Care Corporation (NHCC) that runs NUMC.
The hospital recently announced its collaboration with North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System to deliver high quality cardiac care. “Today’s success is a testimony to this collaboration that has brought on several new cardiologists to our faculty” declared Steven J. Walerstein, MD, senior vice president for medical affairs and the hospital’s medical director. The team is led by cardiology chief, Sanjay Doddamani, MD, who has been a leader in heart failure at the North Shore-LIJ Health System.
The 47 year old Freeport resident, Mr. Rajah Mayo, Sr., who had been ailing from heart failure for many years gratefully acknowledged, “These doctors have saved my life!” adding, “Before I felt I could die any moment. With my defibrillator, I am protecting myself from premature death”. The operation was performed by cardiologist Erik Altman, MD. In the operating room, assistant Monica Chamale, who assisted Dr Altman in the surgery, said “We are expanding what we can do for our patients here, and that is exciting.” Not without a nervous moment too, reflected Chamale, as she watched the device being checked by manually creating ventricular fibrillation, a form of sudden death and then rescuing the patient with a programmed shock. Dr Altman gave thumbs up as he left the operating room and reported, “What we did today certainly makes NUMC a tertiary cardiac center”.
“The success of today’s defibrillator implant is a result of the partnership between physicians, nurses, technicians and the administrative staff at NUMC and North Shore-LIJ. As a collaborative team we have the opportunity to offer the community the highest quality and most comprehensive cardiovascular care,” said Stanley Katz, MD, senior vice president of cardiovascular services at the North Shore-LIJ Health System.
Since its approval for widespread preventive use in 1997 to prevent sudden death in patients with congestive heart failure, implantable defibrillators have been steadily increasing in number, often times replacing the need for using anti-arrhythmia drugs with potentially harmful side effects. Patients in the communities of Hempstead, Roosevelt, Uniondale, Freeport and Elmont that NUMC serves have a high incidence for hospitalization with heart failure. By focusing on advanced heart failure therapy including defibrillators NUMC hopes to reverse many avoidable hospitalizations and eliminate this health care disparity.