Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory of Mount Sinai Heart receives highest "two-star" safety rating

The Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory of Mount Sinai Heart at The Mount Sinai Hospital has once again received the highest "two-star" safety rating from the New York State Department of Health for its percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) overall and in non-emergency cases. This marks the 16th consecutive year the Mount Sinai Catheterization Laboratory or its physician has been awarded a prestigious two-star designation for safety rates significantly exceeding the statewide average.

"At Mount Sinai Heart's Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory we put our patients and their safety first," says leading interventional cardiologist Samin Sharma, MD, Director of Clinical and Interventional Cardiology at The Mount Sinai Hospital. "Our long track-record of success offering the highest level of patient safety in New York State now spans 16 years, proving our patients come first and are offered the highest level of cardiac care excellence here at Mount Sinai."

The new data released by the New York State Department of Health reports on the outcomes of patients discharges at all 59 statewide cardiac catheterization labs from 2009-2011. The "Percutaneous Coronary Interventions (PCI) in New York State 2009-2011" report tracked PCI data in overall, non-emergency, and emergency cases.

During this three-year period results show Mount Sinai's Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory excels achieving a significantly higher safety level than the statewide average even while performing the highest number of PCI procedures in New York (14,525). Mount Sinai's risk-adjusted mortality rate, or RAMR, for all cases (0.71 percent) was significantly lower than the statewide average (0.91). Also, mortality rates for non-emergency cases (0.44 percent) was significantly lower than the statewide average (0.57). Mount Sinai was one of only three hospitals to have an overall RAMR significantly lower than the statewide rate, and one of only three hospitals to have a significantly lower RAMR for non-emergency cases.

"This new report measures the high-quality patient care and successful results we achieve and offer for our patients each and every day at the Mount Sinai Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory," says Annapoorna Kini, MD, Director of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory at The Mount Sinai Hospital. "Our team of skilled interventional cardiologists and staff work together every day under the strong leadership of Dr. Sharma to be and offer the very best today and tomorrow."

Additionally, New York State data highlights Dr. Kini's leading performance as one of only four interventional cardiologists in New York State to be awarded the highest two-star safety rating for her significantly lower accomplished overall mortality rate of only 0.47 percent, while performing 3,063 total PCI cases.

"I am very proud of Dr. Sharma, Dr. Kini, and our Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory team. They are true pioneers and leaders in the field of interventional cardiology," says Valentin Fuster, MD, PhD, Director of Mount Sinai Heart and Physician-in-Chief of The Mount Sinai Hospital. "Their leadership, skilled expertise, and compassion for their patients shine through once again in these latest patient safety results."

PCI, also known as angioplasty, is a minimally invasive procedure performed inside a catheterization laboratory. It is used to diagnose and treat patients with heart disease or blocked heart arteries. A thin catheter is threaded through the body, typically from an artery in the groin to a blocked vessel in the heart. A diagnosed blockage can be removed, often with a stent that is inserted to restore blood flow to the heart within the blood vessel. The condition of patients entering a cardiac catheterization laboratory can range from non-emergency cases of patients experiencing early heart disease symptoms up to emergency cases with patients suffering a myocardial infarction or heart attack.