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Cardiac Procedures

The Heart Center, located at Mercy Hospital, is an expanded cardiovascular services program. It provides seamless delivery of care – from pre-admission testing, to treatment, to care after discharge.

The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) ranked Mercy Hospital's heart surgery program as among the best in the nation by awarding its three-star national quality rating – the highest possible score – for the period of July 2008 to June 2009.

Procedures

• Coronary balloon angioplasty – A New York State report issued in 2009 reveals that The Heart Center had the lowest mortality rate among all hospitals in Western New York, and among the lowest in New York State, for angioplasty from 2005 to 2007. 
• Electrophysiology services for irregular heart rhythms
• Open heart surgery, including coronary artery bypass surgery and valve replacement surgery
• Coronary artery stent placement
• Cardiac implants – Mercy Hospital is the only hospital in Western New York with a comprehensive program for the use of ventricular assist devices (VAD), a mechanical pump used to decrease the workload of the heart
• Percutaneous closure for PFO in patients with stroke (closure of an abnormal opening between the left and right atria (upper chambers) of the heart)

Minimally-Invasive Surgery

Cardiologists at the Heart Center use state-of-the-art techniques and equipment to offer robotic-assisted and minimally invasive coronary artery bypass surgery and valve replacement surgeries.

“Minimally invasive cardiac surgery has significant benefits for the patient,” explained Mercy Hospital cardiothoracic surgeon Serrie C. Lico, M.D. “Besides less pain, minimal scarring, and less risk of infection or complications, recovery time is much quicker, allowing patients to return to normal activities such as driving a car a week after surgery compared to a month or more following traditional open heart surgery.”

Click here to read more about Mercy Hospital's minimally-invasive cardiac surgery program.

"I was back driving in a week." – Tim Ostrander

In October 2009, patient Tim Ostrander stated, “When discussing my options, I asked my surgeon, Dr. Lico, how heart surgery could be performed through such a small hole,” recalled Ostrander. “He said it was magic and we had a good laugh before he further explained the procedure to me in a very professional manner.”

“Today, just a couple months after surgery, I must say that it did feel like magic,” said Ostrander. “I had very little pain and just a bit of muscle soreness right after surgery. I was back driving in a week; I returned to work after a month; and I’m left with a slight scar under my left chest that is barely noticeable. I say to my friends that I had a great surgeon who can also perform magic.”

"I am so grateful and impressed with the care I received at Mercy." – Robert Guiffreda

Like Tim Ostrander, Robert Guiffreda underwent heart surgery in October 2009. He noted that the minimally invasive surgery left him with only a 7 cm scar under his left chest and he had little pain after the procedure.

"My surgery was on Wednesday, I was discharged on Saturday and by Sunday I was up walking around my home,” he recalled. “And, by the following Tuesday, I was walking up and down the road outside my house.”

“I am so grateful and impressed with the care I received at Mercy,” emphasized Guiffreda. “I can’t say enough about Dr. Lico, the one-on-one care in the Open Heart Unit, the caring staff of the 7 McAuley West Unit, and everybody I encountered during my hospital stay.”

World’s Smallest Heart Pump Offers New Hope for Heart Patients

A miniature pump, so small that it can be inserted through an artery and placed inside the heart within a few minutes, offers new hope to critically ill heart attack and heart failure patients. The Impella 2.5 ventricular assist device provides a new advanced treatment option that can be implanted using a minimally invasive approach, unlike most ventricle heart assist devices that require open-chest surgery.

The Heart Center is the only hospital using this new cardiac assist device.

Click here for more information about the Impella minature heart pump.

More Information

For more information about Catholic Health's cardiac services, contact HealthConnection at (716) 447-6205 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday - Friday.