Philadelphia VA Medical Center

Philadelphia VA Medical Center realized a milestone in patient care on Jan. 5, with the successful and safe completion of the first percutaneous coronary interventional procedure to be performed here.

Dr. Amr Bannan, Interventional Cardiologist and Catheterization Laboratory Director, led the interventional team. This success represents the culmination of years of work by the Department of Medicine and Cardiology Service to make the program a reality.

“We are delighted that our VA is now able to provide state-of-the art care to our Veteran cardiac patients,” Dr. Bannan said. “To have successfully performed the first PCI here is a statement to the dedication of the institution and the cardiology staff to address the care of Veterans.”

Percutaneous coronary intervention, commonly known as coronary angioplasty, is one therapeutic procedure used to treat narrowed coronary arteries of the heart found in coronary heart disease. Before this milestone, Veteran patients from throughout the region would have the procedure performed in a non-VA facility.

According to Jill Neill, RN, the Philadelphia VAMC Cardiology Manager, it has taken a diverse group to lay the foundation for this success.

“Offering on-site interventional cardiology services means the Philadelphia VA can provide more services to our Veteran population on-site and streamline care,” she said. “As the program evolves, we hope to ultimately expand services to treat patients with acute coronary syndrome.”

Ms. Neill added that she and the staff have been working on setting up the program since she arrived at the VA in spring 2008.

“I am thrilled,” she said.  “Now that the foundation is in place and we’ve made the transition, I want to focus on refining processes and improve upon what we as a team have built for our Veterans.

“Many people have worked very hard to make this happen. Administratively and clinically, it has been a collaborative effort and I am privileged to have been given this opportunity.”