The Heart Institute of Doylestown Hospital

What Sets Us Apart: Advanced Procedures Close to Home

Our physicians are fellowship-trained and specialty boarded, bringing specialized experience to the Heart Institute of Doylestown Hospital. Our clinical and nursing staff are specially certified in cardiac care with many years of extensive experience caring for cardiac patients. Patients benefit from a continuum of care that focuses on patient comfort and safety from the time patients are admitted to the time they are discharged home.

We offer many of the highly advanced procedures you normally find only at larger teaching institutions. Our state-of-the-art equipment and specialized technology give our clinicians the tools they need to offer the highest quality care.

Beyond the advanced tools and techniques, our main focus is the individual patient who receives compassionate care that's close to home.

Here are some of the reasons why the Heart Institute of Doylestown Hospital is a local leader in cardiac care.

Ablation of Ventricular tachycardia/Epicardial VT ablation program

At Doylestown Hospital, electrophysiologists also perform ablations on patients who have severe weakening of the bottom chambers of the heart, called cardiomyopathy. Often these patients are prone to having life-threatening arrhythmias from the bottom chambers of the heart called ventricular tachycardia(VT). Our physicians have extensive expertise performing ablations of ventricular tachycardia.

While most of these abnormal rhythms start on the inside of the heart, they can also start on the outside of the heart.  In November, 2008 Doylestown electrophysiologists performed the first Epicardial VT Ablation in Bucks County, which is a procedure otherwise only available at a few dozen large teaching institutions across the country.

During Epicardial VT ablation, electrophysiologists target the abnormal rhythms on the outside of the heart without open-heart surgery. They use a small needle placed through the chest wall and into the pericardium (the sack that surrounds the heart).  Then, special catheters are placed through this needle and burns are accomplished on the outside of the heart to eliminate the dangerous arrhythmias.

At the Heart Institute of Doylestown Hospital, our electrophysiologists have the advanced training necessary to perform these complex procedures.

Ventricular Tachycardia Ablation Imagery

Atrial fibrillation Ablation/Pulmonary vein isolation

Atrial fibrillation(AF) is a common problem that can lead to disabling symptoms, congestive heart failure, or even stroke. Over 2 million Americans currently suffer from AF. Lifestyle modifications and medications sometimes control symptoms of AF; but some patients may require a catheter ablation procedure to control their AF. The first AF catheter ablation in Bucks County was performed at DH in 2003. Surgical AF ablation can also be considered in patients who are having open heart surgery for cardiac valve or cardiac artery disease. Electrophysiologists at Doylestown Hospital perform a high volume of AF catheter ablations with excellent long-term results and a safety profile comparable to the best institutions across the country.

Cardiac ablations are heart procedures that are performed to correct many different dangerous or symptomatic arrhythmias (irregular heart beats).  The source of arrhythmias in the heart can come from both the top chambers (atria) and bottom chambers of the heart (ventricles).  Electrophysiologists use specialized catheters that are threaded through small veins in the thigh up into the heart to precisely localize the abnormal electrical "wires" that need to be destroyed. This is accomplished by "burning" them and creating what electrophysiologists call ablation lesions.


Minimally invasive surgery - both robotic and non-robotic/ Minimally invasive cardiac valve surgery (only hospital in Bucks offering robotic heart surgery)

Joseph S. Auteri, MD, FACS, medical director of The Heart Institute of Doylestown Hospital, uses specially designed smaller instruments and even robotically assisted techniques to perform minimally invasive procedures. These account for nearly 1 in 10 of all cardiac surgeries done at Doylestown Hospital--and that number is growing.

Minimally invasive valve surgeries performed at Doylestown Hospital include aortic valve repair or replacement and mitral valve repair and replacement. Conditions that require repairing or replacing the heart's valves include calcium build up (stenosis), and valve disfunction or leakage (insufficiency). The minimally invasive approach can also be used for some single-vessel bypass procedures, or coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery.

The benefits include less pain and lower rates of infection. The most highly advanced robotic technology in the form of the da Vinci S Surgical System lends itself to minimally invasive techniques. At Doylestown Hospital, Dr. Auteri uses the da Vinci mainly for mitral valve surgery, although he has used it for the removal of some tumors.

Minimally invasive techniques continue to be perfected, leaving the future wide open. "I believe minimally invasive surgery will be available to more and more patients for more types of diseases," says Dr. Auteri. He appreciates the significance of having these types of surgeries available at a community hospital like Doylestown Hospital.

Radial artery approach for catheterization
 
Radial artery stenting is a procedure in which the catheter is inserted into the radial artery in the wrist instead of the femoral artery in the groin. Benefits for patients include less bleeding and the capability to get up and move around sooner after the procedure.

Not every angioplasty can be accomplished through the radial artery, and only a select group of hospitals have interventional cardiologists with the specialized training and level of expertise required for this procedure.

Several interventional cardiologists from the Heart Institute of Doylestown Hospital have the advanced training and experience to perform this procedure and offer this option to their patients when appropriate.