About
Cardiologists are physicians who diagnose and treat acute and chronic disorders of the heart. Cayuga Heart and Vascular Center has highly skilled noninvasive and invasive cardiologists, all of whom are Fellows of the American College of Cardiology (FACC). We have several board certifications and specialty areas among our cardiologists including echocardiography, nuclear cardiology, pacing and defibrillation, cardiovascular angiography, and interventional cardiology. These subspecialty certifications help to ensure that we provide state-of-the-art care to our community. We also provide 24-hour cardiac-care coverage at Cayuga Medical Center, and on-call at Schuyler Hospital.
Comprehensive Service Line
The Cayuga Heart and Vascular Center participates in every aspect of your cardiac care, from the moment you arrive at one of our hospitals until the time you are discharged. Whether you are admitted with an acute heart attack requiring emergency percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), come to us for an outpatient surgical procedure such as pacemaker implantation, or require outpatient testing, the care you receive is focused specifically on cardiac health.
The Cayuga Heart and Vascular Center is a hospital-wide multidisciplinary team of health professionals linking Admissions, the Emergency Department, the Cardiac Catheterization Team, Intensive Cardiac Care Unit, Inpatient Telemetry, Outpatient Testing, the Laboratory, Imaging Services, Nutrition and Dining, the Cayuga Center for Healthy Living, Cardiovascular Rehabilitation, and our Emergency Medical Services (EMS) providers. Working together, we provide a comprehensive network of cardiac care.
The Newest Facilities and Technology
Cayuga Heart and Vascular Center has been providing cardiac services for forty years and has more than a decade of experience in invasive cardiac care. Based on our successful track record, our cardiac services program received approval from the NYS Department of Health to offer percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). To prepare for this lifesaving new service, in 2010 we completed a major renovation and expansion of the Cardiac Catheterization Suite with the very newest technology in use today. We initiated PCI in 2010 and have served many heart attack patients locally who previously would have been transferred.
ACCREDITATIONS
Hospital that have earned ACC Chest Pain Center with Primary PCI and Resuscitation Accreditation have proven exceptional competency in treating patient with heart attack symptoms and have primary PCI available 24/7 every day of the year. As required to meet the criteria of the accreditation designation, they comply with standard Chest Pain Center protocols and are equipped with a robust hypothermia program for post-cardiac treatment. These facilities also maintain a “No Diversion Policy” for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients.
Certification by IAC is a very stringent process. IAC is the only accreditation board for echocardiography in the country and this certification confirms the high quality of our echocardiography capabilities. Cardiologists make critical decisions based on the anatomical and physiological information garnered from echocardiograms. The sonographers on staff at the Cayuga Heart Institute are highly experienced and use excellent technique, which is extremely important in the realm of cardiac care.
The National Cardiovascular Data Registry (NCDR) ® is one of the most comprehensive quality improvement programs in the country. NCDR tracks all data from the time a cardiac patient first enters a hospital’s care system and includes information on each patient’s symptoms, EKG and other test results, diagnosis, medications, additional chronic and acute illnesses (co-morbidities), and the specific medications and treatment provided to the patient in the hospital. NCDR and other mandated and voluntary registries provide state and national statistics on cardiac care trends, patient outcomes, and mortality. The information improves patient care by helping hospitals and doctors evaluate new equipment (such as coronary stents) and treatment methods. This enables us to refine our care accordingly to meet the highest current treatment standards.
The Nuclear Medicine Department at Cayuga Medical Center is certified in Nuclear Cardiology by the American College of Radiology (ACR). Nuclear imaging is used to evaluate the function and anatomy of the heart while it is working and is a very important diagnostic test. ARC certification indicates that our nuclear cardiology services meet the highest standards of care.
The Cardiovascular Disease Prevention and Cardiac Rehabilitation Program at Cayuga Center for Healthy Living (CCHL) has received program certification from the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation.COLLABORATIONS
Latest Heart News
what our heart patients are saying
“They saved my life! They saved me from a major cardiac event and I am very thankful. Thank you for everything!”
“They have the doctors, staff, equipment, and experience to help you in a life or death situation like my heart attack.”
“As soon as Dr. Stefek for the last stent in, the pain totally disappeared”.
