Whether you choose St. Vincent’s for emergency cardiac care, interventional cardiology, open heart or minimally invasive heart surgery, or long-term management of chronic conditions, we care for your heart with the most advanced diagnostic and treatment services available.

The New York State Department of Health Ranks us first among New York City hospitals for open heart cardiac surgery procedures.

The New York State Department of Health has reported that St. Vincent’s Hospital Manhattan has the best risk-adjusted mortality rates in New York City for bypass surgery. St. Vincent’s ranked first for adult coronary artery bypass graft surgery mortality with the lowest risk-adjusted mortality rate among the nine heart centers in Manhattan, and among the 16 heart centers in the five boroughs. St. Vincent’s rate in 2005 (the latest available) was 0.81%, versus 2.07% for New York statewide. This is the second year in a row that St. Vincent’s had a risk-adjusted mortality rate of less than 1.0% for coronary artery bypass graft surgery. St. Vincent’s offers the most advanced cardiovascular diagnostic and treatment procedures available, including stent grafting, valve replacement surgery, minimally invasive surgery, aortic homograft, and aneurysm repair.

St. Vincent’s Chief of Cardiology, John Coppola, M.D., internationally recognized expert in transradial catheterization

Procedure associated with fewer complications and increased patient satisfaction

Our Chief of Cardiology, Dr. John Coppola, has achieved an international reputation for excellence in performing transradial catheterization. He has been invited to present this procedure to his peers in Japan, China and Romania, and has received groups of physicians from both Japan and India. Since some 45 percent of the catheterizations Dr. Coppola performs are transradial, he is considered one of New York’s most highly experienced physicians in this delicate procedure.

Transradial cardiac catheterization is more intricate than traditional cardiac catheterization, so it demands a higher level of expertise. In both procedures, the physician inserts a small catheter tube into a blood vessel that leads to the heart, and by injecting a small amount of dye into the tube, he or she locates obstructions within the coronary vessels; however, while the traditional method of catheterization uses the groin as the point of entry, the transradial method uses the wrist, meaning that the physician must be skilled enough to navigate a much smaller artery.

Patients benefit in several ways. Because a smaller artery is used, there is generally less bleeding and discomfort, and the risks of vascular complications that come from inserting a catheter into the groin are reduced. In addition, patients who undergo transradial catheterization become ambulatory immediately after the procedure, eliminating complications from bed rest and allowing them to return home sooner.

Dr. Coppola’s expertise in transradial catheterization underscores the fact that St. Vincent’s has a long history of excellence in cardiac care, offering the most advanced cardiovascular diagnostic and treatment procedures available.

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