WARREN TMH adds 3 facilities to cardiac care unit

The move to the new labs is planned for next week.
WARREN -- Forum Health Trumbull Memorial Hospital has added two new cardiac catheterization labs and an invasive cardiology department to its cardiovascular care unit.
Hospital officials are conducting a dedication and ribbon cutting-ceremony, as well as a community open house today.
The new facilities have been tested with patients and are ready for use. The actual move from the current lab on the second floor to the fourth floor is planned for next week, according to Elizabeth Maiorana, corporate clinical executive for cardiovascular services.
Maiorana said the hospital plans to open a second open-heart surgery suite within a year or so, and there is room on the second floor for a third cath lab if it becomes necessary because of volume of business.
The expansion advances the level of cardiovascular care and supports the growth of the open-heart surgery program begun last summer at TMH, said N. Kristopher Hoce, Forum Health president and CEO.
Increasing numbers
According to Dr. William McCoy, senior vice president of medical affairs at TMH, development of the cardiac catheterization suites and invasive cardiology services, at a cost of about $2 million, was necessary to accommodate the increase in the volume and complexity of cases.
In April 2003, heart surgeons Drs. Pyongsoo Yoon and Sophia Hom had performed 100 heart surgeries at the Trumbull campus four months earlier than projected. Within the last year, more than 700 cardiac catheterizations were performed, as well as 122 open-heart surgery cases, officials said.
With 14 short-stay beds, the new 12,600-square-foot invasive cardiovascular unit centralizes care for cardiac patients from admission to discharge; and the new cardiac catheterization laboratories rival those found at other major medical centers in larger cities such as Cleveland or Pittsburgh, Dr. McCoy said.
The new facilities also resulted in the addition of personnel, including physicians, nurses, radiological technicians and support staff.