CDH’s Cardiovascular Services Program Celebrates Milestone

NORTHAMPTON — Cooley Dickinson Hospital recently marked the one-year anniversary of its Cardiovascular Services Suite, noting that, since July 13, 2006, CDH-affiliated cardiologists have performed 140 diagnostic cardiac catheterizations and surgically implanted 112 pacemakers and 43 defibrillators.

“We’ve made tremendous strides in one year,” said Kathleen Bowers, manager of the suite. “We have created a new program that makes available a comprehensive array of diagnostic heart procedures. What makes our celebration so impressive is that, prior to last July, many of these procedures were not done at CDH.”

One year ago, Cooley Dickinson opened its multipurpose cardiovascular suite and named cardiologist Dr. Mark Porway as the program’s medical director. Electrophysiologist Dr. James Kirchhoffer also joined Cooley’s medical staff and began treating patients in the suite. In addition to Porway and Kirchhoffer, cardiologists Dr. Mark Casey, Dr. Steven DiPillo, Dr. Thomas Weil, Dr. Thomas Quinn, Dr. Norman Perr, and interventional radiologist Dr. Zubin Irani also perform a variety of procedures in the suite.

New services now available at CDH include cardiac catheterization, electrophysiology studies, peripheral vascular studies, and the implantation of defibrillators. Transesophageal studies and pacemaker implantations were previously offered at Cooley Dickinson, but are now performed in the new suite that is dedicated to cardiovascular services and care.

A cardiac catheterization is a test that detects blocked arteries leading to the heart, as well as other heart problems. Electrophysiology studies diagnose and treat heart rhythm disturbances. Peripheral vascular studies detect and evaluate disorders that affect the extremities and abdominal blood vessels, and transesophageal studies use sound waves to take moving pictures of the heart.