January 17, 2008

Mercy Ranks #1 in Iowa for Cardiac Care

No one in Siouxland knows your heart better than Mercy Medical Center—Sioux City, the hospital ranked No. 1 in Iowa for overall cardiac services according to a comprehensive study released last October by HealthGrades, the nation’s leading independent healthcare ratings company.

Western Iowa’s leading hospital is also ranked No. 1 in the state for heart surgery, cardiology services and coronary interventional procedures, according to that national study.

Mercy’s top rankings and exemplary patient outcomes also helped it earn HealthGrades’ 2008 Specialty Excellence Awards for both cardiac care and coronary interventional procedures. In fact, Mercy was the only hospital in Iowa to earn the award for cardiac care.

“Mercy staff members, our gifted cardiothoracic surgeons, and our physician partners at Cardiovascular Associates (CVA) have created a culture of excellence that encourages the delivery of world-class care,” said Sharon Blanche, the executive director of the Mercy Heart Center. “Our proven capabilities at Mercy are on a par with the nation’s best hospitals. It is extraordinary, patient-centered care.”

Just over four years ago, the hospital dedicated its Mercy Heart Center, a state-of-the-art cardiac care facility. The Heart Center is home to two leading-edge catheterization (cath) labs in which a full range of procedures are performed including diagnostic studies, angioplasty and stent placement.

Nearby, patients benefit from a contemporary short stay unit with 12 patient beds in nine private rooms and a recovery area. The nine private rooms are used for patient preparation and recovery from catheterization procedures as well as other outpatient cardiac procedures.

Mercy performs more cardiac interventional procedures than any other hospital in western Iowa. The hospital’s cath labs currently rank in the top 5% of the nation’s hospitals for coronary intervention, according to the latest HealthGrades study.

Mercy has also routinely been the first hospital in the region to make use of the latest advances in interventional cardiology.

Mercy made history in 2001, when a high-tech heart procedure known as coronary brachytherapy was performed for the first time in Siouxland. In 2002, Mercy was the first area hospital to perform a stent graft procedure to repair an abdominal aortic aneurysm. In 2003, Mercy marked another first for the region when Heart Center cardiologists implanted a biventricular pacemaker, the first mechanical device of its type approved by the government for the treatment of the symptoms associated with congestive heart failure (CHF).

Each year hundreds of patients come to Mercy Heart Center for cardiac surgery to treat coronary artery disease, heart valve disease and abnormal heartbeat (arrhythmia). The success that Mercy’s heart surgery program has achieved since its inception in 1978 is evident from independent evaluations that consistently rank Mercy among the best in Iowa and the nation for cardiac surgery.

The Sioux City area’s only open-heart surgery program combines the expertise and skill of cardiothoracic surgeons with a dedicated team that consists of a certified perfusion staff, anesthesiologists with fellowships in cardiovascular procedures, a specialized operating room staff and experienced nurses in cardiac patient care units.

“Mercy outperforms most larger medical centers in larger cities primarily because of its leaders’ commitment to patient focus and patient care,” explains Dr. Richard Gitter, director of cardiothoracic and vascular surgery at Mercy. “We pride ourselves on always putting our patients and their families first; it is a recipe that works well.”

Just seven weeks ago, doctors at Mercy performed a revolutionary new procedure that corrects atrial fibrillation (AF), a common form of heart rhythm abnormality and a major cause of stroke. The new minimally invasive microwave ablation Maze procedure is a considerably more patient-friendly alternative to traditional open-chest “Cox-Maze” procedures and offers new hope to many AF patients. Mercy Cardiothoracic Surgeon Dr. Keith Allen performed the advanced procedure, and is now one of only 70 U.S. surgeons specially trained for the sophisticated practice.

Meanwhile, cardiologists, emergency physicians and other healthcare professionals at Mercy continue to achieve some the best statistical outcomes in the nation for early heart attack care. Mercy’s door-to-dilation time – the amount of time that elapses between arrival at the hospital and the first inflation of the balloon for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in a cath lab – is consistently outstanding.

Mercy has earned national honors in cardiac care not only from HealthGrades but also from other independent sources, including Solucient.

In 2006, Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Iowa named Mercy Medical Center a Blue Distinction Center for Cardiac Care. Blue Distinction is a nationwide program that creates an unprecedented level of healthcare transparency for consumers and providers.