Services & Specialty Centers

Cardiac Care Services

South Nassau Communities Hospital has demonstrated innovation and leadership in the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular diseases for patients on the South Shore of Long Island. From early diagnosis in our Emergency Services Department to our comprehensive rehabilitation and support program, we provide a wide range of services to cardiac patients and their families:

• Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory - the first NYS Department of Health approved laboratory on the South Shore of Nassau County, providing the latest in diagnostic and therapeutic technology.
• Electrophysiology Laboratory - the first NYS Department of Health approved facility on the the South Shore of Nassau County provides state of the art services for the diagnosis and management of potentially fatal cardiac arrhythmias.
• Coronary Care Unit - offers continuous monitoring and intensive medical and nursing care for hospitalized patients with heart attacks, heart failure and other serious forms of cardiovascular disease.
• Non-invasive Cardiovascular Laboratory- performs ECGs, Holter 24 hour ECGs, and trans thoracic and trans esophageal echocardiograms (TEE) to assist in the diagnosis of heart disease for inpatients and outpatients at South Nassau.
• Nuclear Cardiology- provides exercise stress testing with the addition of nuclear cardiac imaging in order to localize areas of inadequate blood flow to the heart
• Cardiac Rehabilitation Program – offers an integrated program of graded exercise designed by exercise therapists with medical and nursing support.

Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory

Patients with cardiovascular disease trust the laboratory to provide expert care, together with the latest in innovative, preventive and corrective cardiac technology, including:

• State-of-the-art angioplasty procedures. The first hospital in New York designated as a C-PORT (Cardiovascular Patient Outcomes Research Trial) center, South Nassau is part of a multi-hospital study affiliated with Johns Hopkins to assess the safety and efficacy of primary angioplasty - versus other medical therapy (usually with clot-dissolving medicines) - in the treatment of heart attack patients.
• Solid-state image cameras for diagnostic procedures. With its super-high resolution image quality, this is the most advanced system available, providing extraordinarily precise results, while reducing the patient's exposure to radiation by 50 percent, as compared to cardiac catheterization equipment that uses film.
• Transradial angiography. In this procedure, a catheter is inserted into the circulatory system via an artery in the wrist, reducing bleeding and shortening recovery time, so most patients can be discharged on the same day.

Electrophysiology

The most advanced medical technology and methods combine here to treat and cure potentially fatal irregular heartbeats. The Electrophysiology Laboratory procedures include Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators (ICD), as well as a revolutionary 3-D diagnostic imaging system that produces real-time virtual images of electrical activity within the heart.

Open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for electrophysiology studies, radio-frequency catheter ablation and implantation testing of pacemakers and implantable defibrillators, the lab is led by board-certified cardiologists with advanced training in electrophysiology who handle everything from emergency arrhythmias to defibrillator complications. Working with a specially-trained technical staff, they provide personalized attention, prompt evaluation and same-day treatment to enhance each patient's peace of mind.

Follow up services also include a free support group for patients with ICDs, sponsored with South Nassau's Counseling Center.

Rehabilitation and Support Services

The Center provides a comprehensive, individualized program of cardiac rehabilitation for people who have had a recent heart attack, heart surgery or have been diagnosed with stable angina. This 12 week program includes therapeutic exercise, cardiac risk assessment, nutritional assessment and counseling, stress reduction and education on the heart healthy lifestyle. This multidisciplinary program has been certified by the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation.