Primary Angioplasty Now Offered At Brookdale Hospital

When a person is having a heart attack, “time” is of the essence and can mean the difference between life and death.    Up until recently, a patient brought to the Emergency Department at Brookdale suffering a heart attack and requiring angioplasty would be be transferred to another facility.  Brookdale’s Cardiology Department and its Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory are now fully staffed and equipped to offer this much needed service to the members of its community.

Over two million angioplasties are performed each year making it more common than the coronary bypass surgery to unclog or open narrowed or blocked blood vessels of the heart due to a buildup of cholesterol, cells or a blood clot.  This procedure is not considered major surgery as it is done through the insertion of a catheter into the artery and inflating a tiny balloon at the end of it.  In many cases a stent is placed in the artery through the same catheter to prevent the artery from clogging again.  The catheter is removed and the stent remains in position in the artery.  In most cases, an overnight stay may be required.

We congratulate everyone responsible for this successful effort.