Olean, NY – Olean General Hospital (OGH) is set to reopen the Interventional Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory, “cath lab,” after a five-week hiatus due to renovations and upgrades.  OGH now has the state-of-the-art Siemens Artis Icono Lab that will continue to allow the cardiology team to continue to provide full comprehensive cardiology services to the region.

Since 2013, the cath lab at OGH has performed nearly 5,000 cardiac catheterizations and treated over 700 heart attack (STEMI) patients with excellent outcomes.  Led by Dr. Christopher Mallavarapu, a world-class interventional cardiologist, the cardiology team provides comprehensive care that ranges from treatments as simple as lifestyle changes to performing pacemaker and defibrillator implants right here in the community. 

“We are pleased to continue to provide advanced cardiac procedures close to home,” said Christopher Mallavarapu, MD, FACC, FASCAI, medical director, cardiology.  “With this new technology and experienced team of cardiologists, clinical and non-clinical staff, the community is in great hands for cardiac care!”

The team of cardiologists include Dr. Mallavarapu, Christopher Michaeles, MD both local community members along with Gates Vascular Institute (GVI) interventional cardiologists, Vijay Iyer, MD, Kishor Phadke, MD, Selvakumar Chockalingam, MD, and cardiac electrophysiologists, Chee Hoon Kim, MD and Donald Switzer, MD. 

“This team performs life-saving procedures every day,” said Dr. Mallavarapu.  “Having the service, technology, and accessibility are very important to effectively treat patients with heart diseases.  The community is fortunate to have a hospital that offers these services in such a rural region.  The accessibility alone increases the patient’s chances of a positive outcome because every minute counts.”

Though Olean boasts a population around 14,000, 1% of all heart attacks in New York State are treated at Olean General Hospital.  The newly enhanced cath lab will allow the cardiology team at OGH to continue to treat these cardiac patients for years to come.

The American Heart Association (AHA) sets guidelines for cardiology cases to ensure that patients receive timely cardiac care because “time is muscle.”  The cardiology team at OGH has continued to surpass these metrics since its inception in 2013. 

The AHA sets a 90-minute threshold that starts upon entering a facility to receiving the procedure, also known as the door to balloon time.  The OGH team’s average is 60 minutes for the door to balloon.  Another guideline set by the AHA is a 120-minute threshold with transfers from other hospitals — door to door to balloon.  OGH averages 96 minutes for door to door to balloon metrics, besting the AHA threshold by 24 minutes.  

The last metric that AHA sets is 90 minutes from first medical contact to balloon meaning from first contact by emergency medical services (EMS) to the patient receiving the procedure.  OGH’s average is only 83.5 minutes.  This average is most notable due to the increased transport times from home to the hospital in this rural region.  The partnership and open communication with local EMS allows the OGH team to mobilize and be ready upon the patient arrival, bypassing the emergency room and the patient being transported directly to the cath lab for immediate treatment. 

The OGH cardiac cath lab has been recognized multiple times by the American Heart Association’s Mission Life Line for performance and last awarded the silver plus distinction.  Olean General Hospital was also recognized in the 2022 U.S. News & World Report “Best Hospitals” American College of Cardiology for implementing high standards of care and protocols for patients.

The lab is operated in partnership between Olean General Hospital and Kaleida Health’s Gates Vascular Institute in Buffalo, the largest provider of cardiac services in Upstate New York.  Olean General Hospital is the only hospital in Southwestern New York to offer advanced cardiac care, including interventional cardiac catheterization and electrophysiology, in partnership with Buffalo General Medical Center/Gates Vascular Institute. OGH is a designated heart attack receiving center and an accredited stroke center.

“This project wouldn’t have been possible without the help from the OGH Foundation, its board members, and the community,” said Jill Owens, MD, president, BRMC, OGH.  “We can’t thank everyone enough for their commitment to understanding the needs and the importance of having quality healthcare in this region.”