PORT JEFFERSON, NY – Mather Hospital today announced the opening of its Cardiac Catheterization Lab following final approval by the New York State Department of Health.
The Cath Lab, as it is commonly known, will allow Mather to enhance the region’s cardiac services by performing minimally invasive tests and procedures to diagnose and treat cardiovascular conditions. Patients were previously transferred from Mather to have these services performed elsewhere. The electrophysiology lab will open later this year.
“The opening of the Cath Lab is a momentous occasion that has been over three decades in the making,” said Mather President Kenneth Roberts. “This lab will create a new level of innovative care and treatment at Mather Hospital. Thanks to our partnership with Northwell Health we continue to raise health in our communities.”
Cardiac catheterization is a diagnostic procedure used to visualize the arteries and chambers of the heart and treat any narrowing of blood vessels (stenosis) or other abnormality. A catheter – a thin, hollow tube – is inserted into a large blood vessel that leads to the heart. Once surgeons identify a blocked artery, they open it to restore blood flow to the heart and in that way prevent muscle damage. The electrophysiology lab will be used to assess and repair the heart’s electrical system and diagnose abnormal heartbeats (arrhythmia).
The Cath Lab is headed by Luis Gruberg, MD, interventional cardiologist and professor at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra University.
“Mather Hospital’s new Cath lab will provide members of our communities with advanced cardiac procedures close to home,” said Dr. Gruberg. “This means our patients will get the potentially life-saving care they need more quickly from our expert team. For those who require more advanced procedures, Northwell’s Sky Heath helicopter can quickly transport them to any facility in the northeast, including the advanced heart program at South Shore University Hospital.”
South Shore is one of the 50 best hospitals in the United States for heart surgery and among the top 10 percent in the nation for coronary interventional procedures for 2019, according to Healthgrades.
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About Mather Hospital
Mather Hospital is an accredited 248-bed, non-profit community teaching hospital dedicated to providing a wide spectrum of high-quality healthcare services to Suffolk County residents, showing compassion and respect and treating each patient in the manner we would wish for our loved ones. Mather has twice earned the prestigious Magnet® recognition from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), which recognizes healthcare organizations for quality patient care, nursing excellence and innovations in professional nursing practice. Mather has received 15 “A” ratings for patient safety from The Leapfrog Group. For further information about Mather Hospital, visit www.matherhospital.org or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/matherhospital.
About Northwell Health
Northwell Health is New York State’s largest health care provider and private employer, with 23 hospitals, 830 outpatient facilities and more than 16,600 affiliated physicians. We care for over two million people annually in the New York metro area and beyond, thanks to philanthropic support from our communities. Our 76,000 employees – 18,900 nurses and 4,800 employed doctors, including members of Northwell Health Physician Partners – are working to change health care for the better. We’re making breakthroughs in medicine at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research. We’re training the next generation of medical professionals at the visionary Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and the Hofstra Northwell School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies. For information on our more than 100 medical specialties, visit Northwell.edu and follow us @NorthwellHealth on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.