ROSLYN, NEW YORK, NOV. 12, 2004 - In order to further meet the community’s need for cardiac services, St. Francis Hospital, The Heart Center® has updated and expanded its Cardiac Catheterization Laboratories. Cardiac catheterization and related procedures are mainstays in the diagnosis and treatment of heart disease. St. Francis Hospital performs over 16,000 catheterization procedures in a year, which is more than any other hospital in New York State and makes it one of the nation’s highest volume centers.

An additional Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory has been added and two other labs have been made significantly larger. The labs also have been outfitted with the latest, state-of-the-art technology. For example, St. Francis is the first hospital on Long Island to have Siemen’s Medical Systems Flat Panel technology for cardiac imaging. The new technology provides more accuracy and detail in the imaging of coronary arteries, helping to improve diagnosis and to better guide treatment. Additionally, a new hemodynamic monitoring system streamlines efficiency by providing the ability to digitally archive patient information and provide electronic documentation for the physician, as well as the registered professional nurse.

The opening of the new catheterization laboratories is being marked with a special celebration at the hospital on Sunday, November 14.

According to Dr. Richard A. Shlofmitz, Medical Director of Cardiac Cath Lab Services, “what differentiates St. Francis’s Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory from other programs is that all of our patients are treated by a small, committed group of interventional cardiologists who each perform between 500 and 2,400 procedures annually.” Dr. Shlofmitz added: “When it comes to your heart, experience really does matter. Because St. Francis is not a teaching hospital, the most experienced cardiologist is performing the procedure rather than one who is in training. This level of commitment and experience makes us able to offer exceptional care to our patients.”

St. Francis Hospital, The Heart Center® is New York’s only specialty designated center for cardiac care and is one of the busiest heart centers in the United States. On a number of measures of quality and service, including those published by U.S.News & World Report and AARP’s Modern Maturity, St. Francis Hospital has been ranked as one of the best heart hospitals in New York State and the nation.