News Release

UPMC NORTHWEST OPENS CARDIAC CATHETERIZATION UNIT
Hospital’s first interventional cardiologist performs procedures in new facility

Feb. 28, 2006 — UPMC Northwest’s first interventional cardiologist joined the hospital medical staff in 2005 and the hospital opened its new Cardiac Catheterization Unit.

Both the practice of medical/interventional cardiologist Nattapong Sricharoen, MD – or Dr. Nat as he is known – and the cardiac catheterization lab are components of the new UPMC Cardiovascular Institute at UPMC Northwest. The institute makes UPMC Northwest part of UPMC’s cardiac care program that is recognized both nationally and internationally as a center of cardiac diagnostic, treatment, and research excellence.
The presence of Dr. Nat and the opening of the new unit allow UPMC Northwest to offer cardiac catheterization for the first time, so many patients can undergo this advanced cardiac diagnostic exam locally instead of traveling to an out-of-town hospital.

“Dr. Nat is a great addition to our cardiac care team, and the new unit is an excellent addition to our cardiac diagnostic capabilities,” says UPMC Northwest President Neil Todhunter. “We now have more advanced cardiac care services than ever.”

Dr. Nat provides medical, interventional cardiology

Dr. Nat sees patients in his office at 1 Memorial Drive, Oil City, and provides medical and interventional cardiology services, including cardiac catheterization, at UPMC Northwest. Medical cardiology uses non-invasive methods (stress testing, echocardiography, medication, diet/lifestyle changes, etc.) to evaluate and treat heart disease. Interventional cardiology is for patients who need a more advanced level of diagnosis and treatment including invasive procedures like catheterization.

		UPMC Northwest’s new Cardiac Catheterization Unit allows the hospital to perform this important cardiac diagnostic procedure for the first time. Radiologic technologist Donna Jones (left) and cardiologist Nattapong Sricharoen, MD, are members of the cardiac catheterization team that provides care for patients in the new unit.

Dr. Nat graduated from medical school in his native Thailand and has completed extensive medical education in the U.S., including a three-year residency in internal medicine at Indiana University Medical Center in Indianapolis, a cardiology fellowship at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver, and an interventional cardiology fellowship at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

Dr. Nat is board certified in internal medicine, cardiology and interventional cardiology. His special interest is diagnosing and treating obstructive coronary artery disease.

Dr. Nat, his wife Cherry, their sons Nont, 7, and New, 4, and daughter Nan, 6, reside in Franklin.

New unit features state-of-the-art technology

The new unit – part of the hospital’s Major Diagnostic Center – features a state-of-the-art General Electric Innova 3100 cardiovascular imaging system. The Innova 3100 produces exceptionally clear, detailed images of the cardiac arteries and heart anatomy to help the doctor determine whether any blockage or other evidence of disease is present.
“It’s the most advanced system of its kind, and it gives us a superbly equipped catheterization unit,” says Doug Frankenburg, UPMC Northwest’s vice president of clinical services.

The versatile Innova also is a great angiography/interventional radiology system that
doctors use to diagnose and/or treat vascular disease in the neck, legs, abdomen, brain, and other regions of the body.

Also equipping the cardiac catheterization lab is other technology intended to ensure safe, thorough catheterization exams: the Witt Biomedical CALYSTO Series IV patient monitoring and information system that provides for UPMC Northwest’s cardiac catheterization team everything from patients’ vital signs to current test results; the Zoll Pacemaker/Defibrillator, a patient safety system that can bring the heart back into rhythm if a patient develops an irregular heartbeat; and the Arrow International Intra-Aortic Balloon Pump, another patient safety feature that stabilizes the heart and improves cardiac efficiency if complications develop during catheterization.

UPMC Northwest’s angiography/interventional radiology team underwent extensive training at UPMC Presbyterian and UPMC Passavant that expanded its capabilities to include cardiac catheterization. The angio/interventional/catheterization team members are radiologic technologists Amanda Baker, Denise Boughner, Donna Jones, and Ashley Lineman, and registered nurses Judy Baranyai and Joyce Speer.

Other staff members also prepared extensively for the opening of the lab including Ambulatory Surgery staff nurses, who received instruction in pre- and post-catheterization care and training from UPMC Presbyterian. Cardiac catheterization patients are admitted as outpatients and receive care before and after their exam in the Extended Recovery Center that is part of the hospital’s Ambulatory Surgery unit.

New facility is primarily for low-risk procedures

The Cardiac Catheterization Unit is primarily for low-risk procedures involving patients
with stable cardiac conditions or no known heart disease, and is for diagnostic procedures only. It is not intended for catheterizations of cardiac emergency patients or other higher-risk patients, and is not equipped to provide interventional treatments such as balloon angioplasty or placement of stents that alleviate blockages and restore blood flow through the cardiac arteries.

Patients who undergo catheterization here and require angioplasty or stenting may continue to obtain care from Dr. Nat – who will provide these interventional treatments at UPMC Presbyterian or UPMC Passavant – or his associate Joon Lee, MD. Dr. Lee also is a member of the UPMC Northwest medical staff but practices primarily at the two Pittsburgh hospitals.

Dr. Nat says the opening of his practice and the Cardiac Catheterization Unit are “great opportunities” that he chose over several other prospects as far away as Kentucky and Alabama. “I’m very impressed with everything here. This is a new service, and I’m eager to help get it started,” he says. “My goal is to provide the best cardiac care possible.”