St. Barnabas took a significant step toward improving access to cardiac care in the Bronx with the opening of a new cardiac catheterization laboratory on the fourth floor of the hospital last fall. The lack of access to cardiac surgical services in the Bronx had often prevented residents from obtaining care that is crucial for their well being. The new facility at St. Barnabas will be of vital importance to the health of the community and to the current and future heart care program at the hospital.

At the helm of the new service is Cardiologist Frank Iacovone, MD, Section Chief, Cardiac Catheterization, who came on board to direct the new program.  “It is a privilege to be given the opportunity, by St. Barnabas and Weill Cornell Medical Center, to be a part of this new diagnostic program for a community that has a substantial need for its services,” he says.

Working closely with Dr. Iacovone is a specially trained team of registered nurses, including Evelyn Castillo, Juliet Pulicay, May delos Reyes, Josefina Rodriguez, Sonia Rivadelo, and Lorlei Belardo.

Cardiac catheterization is a minimally invasive procedure that involves the insertion of a long thin tube or catheter into an artery of the groin, arm, or wrist. The catheter is guided to the heart and then used to inject a contrast that allows the arteries of the heart to be visualized under exposure to X-Rays.  The X-Ray images provide a detailed map of the heart and uncover the locations of any blockages. Combined with measurements of muscle strength and blood pressure, this procedure is an integral part of cardiac diagnostic care. Dr. Iacovone personally works with patients to help them understand the procedure.

Dr. Iacovone is seeking state approval to add angioplasty and stenting; procedures that use a balloon to open clogged arteries and a wire mesh tube to hold the artery open, respectively.  The addition of these procedures would allow patients to receive comprehensive cardiac intervention without leaving the Bronx. Dr. Iacovone and his team will also implement a research study to investigate the effectiveness of different treatments in reducing contrast-induced kidney injury in patients with renal insufficiency. 

At present, over 400 patients in need of cardiac intervention have already benefited from the services provided at St. Barnabas’s new facility. The cardiac catheterization laboratory at St. Barnabas is a growing and valuable program for heart patients in the Bronx.