Peconic Bay Medical Center performs 100th CardioMEMS implant

The Peconic Bay Medical Center announced that its Robert Entenmann Catheterization Lab Unit at the Kanas Regional Heart Center has successfully performed its 100th CardioMEMS implant.

“This achievement demonstrates the extraordinary skill of our clinical team and the high level of care we’re able to offer right here in Riverhead,” PBMC president Amy Loeb said in a release. “Reaching this 100th implant is a testament to the trust our patients place in PBMC and the dedication of our entire cardiac team.”

Ms. Loeb said CardioMEMS technology has transformed so much that patients with heart failure can be monitored and treated so they can live healthier lives.

CardioMEMS implants mark a major advancement in heart failure treatment. The device, which is placed in a patient’s pulmonary artery, lets doctors remotely monitor pressure changes before symptoms appear, allowing earlier treatment adjustments that can prevent complications and hospitalizations. 

The cardiac team at the Riverhead-based medical center also reported the first known CardioMEMS implantation performed without contrast dye, using intravascular ultrasound instead. That offers a safer option for patients with kidney disease or dye allergies.

“This milestone shows the success of our CardioMEMS program, but also the strength of the comprehensive cardiac care we have built at PBMC,” said Dr. Ryan Patterson. “Through cutting-edge technologies like this, combined with the continued expansion of our Cath Lab and cardiac services, we are giving patients access to the same level of advanced heart care that they would find in the region’s largest hospitals, without having to leave the East End.”

The medical center’s cardiac implant program has drastically reduced the need for community members to leave the area for life-saving operations. The program typically treats adults over the age of 50 with conditions like arrhythmia, heart failure and prior cardiac events.

“I’ve seen firsthand how CardioMEMS has transformed outcomes for patients living with heart failure,” said Andrew Persits, director of Interventional Cardiology. “What makes this milestone so meaningful is that it reflects the hundreds of lives improved through earlier intervention, reduced hospitalizations and a better quality of life for our patients and their families.”

For more information about Peconic Bay Medical Center, visit pbmc.northwell.edu.