Sutter Health selected to offer cardiology procedures

It's a decision that has already saved many lives in south Placer County, according to Dr. George Fehrenbacher, medical director of cardiology at Sutter Roseville.Now that priority may do even more to assist local cardiac patients.The state of California recently selected Sutter Roseville to act as one of six medical centers to offer both emergency and non-emergency angioplasty and stenting without in-hospital cardiac surgery backup. This is part of a California Department of Public Health pilot program, called the Elective PCI Project.This means local Sutter patients don't have to go elsewhere for elective interventional cardiology procedures.Fehrenbacher and the hospital's administration team were instrumental in securing state approval for S.B. 891, the legislation that made the designation possible. The other hospitals are in Los Alamitos, Walnut Creek, San Pablo, Clovis and Hayward.In the past, only hospitals with full-time heart surgery programs — such as the Sutter Medical Center in Sacramento — could perform these elective procedures, as the heart surgery option provides a safety net. However, angioplasty, stenting and other interventional cardiology procedures have become much safer and effective over the years, according to an extensive June 2009 study by the American College of Cardiology that found no difference in mortality whether a hospital has cardiac surgery backup on-site or at a nearby facility. For Sutter Roseville, cardiac surgery backup will be provided at Sutter Memorial Hospital in Sacramento via ambulance.In 2009, Fehrenbacher and his full-time interventional cardiology team at Sutter Roseville performed 150 percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) procedures — such as angioplasty and stenting — on heart attack patients. But, in the past, if a patient's need for the procedure was not deemed urgent or an emergency, the interventional catheterization would have to take place in a hospital that also provides 24-hour cardiac surgery. As of Aug. 1, Fehrenbacher and his team are able to perform these non-urgent procedures at Sutter Roseville Medical Center."Studies have shown that the PCI success rate remains very, very high whether or not there is on-site cardiac surgery backup," Fehrenbacher said in a press release. "By performing elective interventional procedures, our team will remain sharp when emergency PCIs come to the hospital."In March 2010, Sutter Roseville was designated a regional Heart Attack Center, which allows ambulances to bypass other hospitals if a patient in South Placer and neighboring counties is having a severe heart attack and needs emergency angioplasty or stenting. Patients are rushed to the hospital where they have the best chance of surviving and experiencing less damage to the heart.~Sena Christian, Gold Country News Service