New York Methodist Hospital's Cardiac Surgeons Rank First in Brooklyn

Nov 10, 2006

a few surgeons performing surgery

Anthony Tortolani, M.D., left, chairman of cardiothoracic surgery, with Leonard Lee, M.D., director of the cardiac surgery program for the New York Methodist-Cornell Heart Center, which opened in 2004.

New York Methodist Hospital's cardiac surgeons rank first in Brooklyn and among the best in the city, according to a recent report released by the New York State Department of Health. The report, which includes data on cardiac surgeries performed between 2002 and 2004, provides statistics on the number of mortalities following coronary artery bypass or heart valve surgery. NYM's cardiac surgeons had the lowest mortality rates in Brooklyn. "Because the New York Methodist-Cornell Heart Center was established two years ago, this is the first official report comparing our data to others in New York," said Mark J. Mundy, president and CEO of NYM. "We are extremely excited about the findings and are working hard to continue to bring the best possible care to patients with cardiac diseases," he said.

The cardiac surgery team at NYM comes from the world-renowned Weill Cornell Medical Center at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, which, according to the recent report, had the lowest mortality rate for heart surgeries performed in the State. In addition to being staffed by physicians from Weill Cornell, NYM uses the proven model for excellence established there to set standards for the training and credentialing of nurses and technicians, quality assurance, performance measurement and reporting.

The Center, a program of NYM's Institute for Cardiology and Cardiac Care, provides cardiac surgery and interventional cardiology care in state-of-the-art diagnostic and surgical facilities. The Hospital's cardiac surgery suite includes two cardiac surgery operating rooms, an eight-bed cardiac intensive care unit, a holding area for pre-anesthesia assessment and a family waiting area.

For referral to an appropriate specialist affiliated with the New York Methodist Hospital Institute for Cardiology and Cardiac Care, please call 866-84-HEART.