Kent Hospital dedicated the newly constructed, Robert E. Baute, MD, Cardiac Catheterization Lab, on Tuesday, October 25. The two labs were constructed after Kent received approval from the Rhode Island Department of Health in March 2015, to develop and implement a coronary angioplasty program. Kent began offering elective coronary angioplasty in August 2015 and to date has performed nearly 200 procedures with no major complications.
Coronary angioplasty, also referred to as PCI (percutaneous coronary intervention), is a procedure that opens a blocked coronary artery by inflating a balloon and stent in the diseased artery. It is often used for patients suffering from a sudden heart attack. Angioplasty is also effective in relieving symptoms among more stable patients who experience chest discomfort or angina due to coronary artery disease.
For patients having a heart attack, a reduced waiting time for care - 20 minutes and even 10 minutes - is an enormous amount of time and can be the difference between someone living or dying. Patients residing in both Kent and Washington Counties will see a significant increase in outcomes from heart attack because of decreased transport and transfer times to treatment.
"The opening of this new cath lab is vitally important to Kent's service area which represents more than 300,000 people," said Chester Hedgepeth, III, MD, PhD, executive chief of cardiology at Care New England. "Over the past year we have successfully offered elective angioplasty and vastly improved the health and well-being of many people. We now look forward to taking the next step in the program with emergency angioplasty beginning in the near future."
The lab is named after Dr. Robert E. Baute, who was instrumental in early efforts to grow Kent's cardiology program, while helping to pave the way for the existing angioplasty program. Dr. Baute gave more than 35 years of dedicated service to Kent Hospital. Beginning his career as an internal medicine physician in private practice, he went on to become the hospital's medical director and then served a 10-year term as president and CEO. Through his years of tireless effort, dedication, clinical care and leadership, Dr. Baute led Kent Hospital to a new level of health care service, accessibility and expansion.
"We are very pleased to be able to offer our community the best possible care close to home while helping to save lives and keep people well. This new cardiac catheterization facility does just that," said Michael Dacey, MD, Kent Hospital president and COO. "On behalf of Kent Hospital and Care New England, it is a pleasure and honor to officially recognize Dr. Baute for his tireless work both clinically and in shaping the course of Kent Hospital over many years. The dedication of this cath lab will stand as a lasting tribute to someone who means so much to the community and our hospital. We also recognize Sandra Coletta, COO, Care New England, for her commitment and direction of this project, as well as physicians and the tireless work of our nursing staff and many others."
Said Dr. Baute, "This program is a culmination of a vision that began more than 20 years ago. Our commitment is to provide comprehensive and high quality cardiac services to our community. I'm so pleased that it has come to fruition and know it will provide a benefit for cardiac patients over generations. I am deeply grateful and humbled that the new facility will bear my name."
Warwick Mayor Scott Avedisian said, "I'm extremely proud of the progress that Kent Hospital has made over the last year in bringing this new cath lab and its technology to the patients they serve. The hard work and dedication of all the doctors and staff involved in this venture is truly admirable. I'm equally as grateful to Dr. Baute for his endless leadership, vision and commitment to bringing the patients of Kent the best medical care possible."
Kent Hospital, a Care New England Hospital, is a 359-bed, acute care hospital. It is Rhode Island’s second largest hospital, serving approximately 300,000 residents of central Rhode Island.
A teaching affiliate of The University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine, Kent offers programs in Emergency Medicine, Family Medicine, Internal Medicine and an Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine Fellowship. Kent’s redesigned Emergency Department (ED) sees approximately 70,000 patients a year and ranks Kent’s ED volume among the top 10-percent nationally. It was the first hospital in the state to eliminate the practice of ambulance diversion.