St. Anthony's Hospital Receives Approval For Elective Angioplasty
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (Jan. 16, 2009) ' St. Anthony�s Hospital announced today that it has received state approval from the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) to perform percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), also known as angioplasty, on an elective or nonemergency basis.
This is a great achievement for our hospital and great news for the region,� said William G. Ulbricht, St. Anthony�s Hospital president. St. Anthony�s Hospital�s pursuit to bring elective angioplasty services to the area and its investment in cardiac services and the cardiac catheterization labs demonstrates St. Anthony�s commitment to offer the community a top-notch heart program. The real winners of the state�s decision are Pinellas County residents, who can rely on St. Anthony�s Hospital for years to come to meet their cardiovascular needs.�
Elective angioplasties involve the insertion of a catheter into a blocked artery in the heart where a small balloon on the end of the catheter is inflated, opening the artery and restoring blood flow to the heart. St. Anthony�s Hospital has been successfully performing diagnostic catherizations and emergency angioplasties for more than three years.
Emergency angioplasties performed at St. Anthony�s Hospital over the past few years have saved many lives,� said Pat Sizemore, St. Anthony�s Hospital vice president of Patient Services. The approval to perform elective PCI is acknowledgement of the exemplary work of our professional and dedicated staff of surgeons, physicians, nurses and administrators. St. Anthony�s Hospital is pleased to have the privilege to expand access to an important interventional procedure to our community with added convenience.�
AHCA approved St. Anthony�s Hospital�s request to perform elective angioplasty after an extensive application process, demonstrating the overall high-quality care, volume and outcomes of the hospital�s cardiac services program.
Offering patients the option of electing to have the procedure performed at St. Anthony�s, their hospital, is a tremendous benefit to them and their families,� added Andrew Rosenthal, M.D., medical director of interventional cardiology at St. Anthony�s Hospital. Our patients no longer have to be transported or drive and be admitted to another hospital to have the same procedure they can now get onsite at St. Anthony�s Hospital. It�s a greater continuity of care. St. Anthony�s Hospital has gone through a period of oversight in performing angioplasties in emergency situations. We know our ability to deliver quality outcomes is safe and effective and more convenient for our patients.�
St. Anthony�s Hospital, which established the first cardiac catheterization lab in Pinellas County, currently has a 10-bed cardiovascular intensive care unit, a 26-bed cardiac telemetry unit, and three cardiac catheterization labs, including St. Anthony�s 48,000 square foot outpatient Heart Center, a partnership with the Heart and Vascular Institute of Florida.
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St. Anthony�s Hospital is a 395-bed hospital founded in 1931 as a ministry of the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany and is the first and only faith-based hospital in Pinellas County. In 1997, St. Anthony�s Hospital became part of BayCare Health System, a joint operating agreement between the Tampa Bay area�s leading not-for-profit hospitals. St. Anthony�s Hospital has a rich history dedicated to improving the health of the community by providing high-quality, innovative and compassionate care. St. Anthony�s Hospital also is comprised of the following health care facilities: St. Anthony�s Imaging Center-Tyrone and the St. Anthony�s Outpatient Center-Carillon.
Contact: Kobe Bouromphongsa
Phone: (727) 825-1445
Pager: (727) 257-7052
E-mail: Kobe.Bouromphongsa@BayCare.org
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