• Lawrence General Hospital

    Coronary heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States and a major cause of ongoing disability. And it shows no favorites, afflicting people of all ages and backgrounds.

    Given the prevalence of heart disease, it should be reassuring to know that Cardiac Care at Lawrence General Hospital is better than it has ever been. In recent years, we've significantly enhanced our Cardiac Care services in order to provide faster, more effective care to patients who have a heart attack or who are suffering from diseases of the heart.  As a matter of fact, we have the highest quality ratings available, and we are also one of the most efficient cardiac cath labs in the entire region. Since July of 2008, heart attack victims have had rapid access to life saving emergency angioplasty at Lawrence General Hospital. This is critical, since national standards suggest the procedure is most effective when it is performed within 90 minutes of having a heart attack. Our "door to procedure time" at Lawrence General averages less than 70 minutes. The new affiliation between Lawrence General and the CVI gives our patients direct, local access to a world-renowned Cardiac Care Institute if tertiary care is needed.

    Among the physical improvements is a newly renovated cardiac catheterization laboratory with state-of-the-art imaging, hemodynamics and archival systems. In addition, in January, 2010, interventional cardiologists at Lawrence General joined forces with their peers at the CardioVascular Institute (CVI) at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) in Boston to significantly enhance cardiac catheterization and emergency angioplasty services here in the Merrimack Valley. In a recent analysis of payments for cardiac procedures here at Lawrence General, the average cost savings to have cath procedures here, versus in Boston, is $10,000 less per procedure; same great quality and results and sometimes the same doctor, but significant savings for you and/or your insurer.

    We are renowned as a trendsetter in the cardiac field, using the radial artery in most of our cases. This allows our team to reach your heart quicker, reduces arterial bleeding, and leads to a quicker recovery time for you or your loved one.

    Thanks to our affiliation with Beth Israel Deaconess, The Massachusetts Department of Public Health has granted special project approval for Lawrence General Hospital to participate in the MASS COMM Clinical Trial. This study compares elective or non-emergency angioplasty performed at hospitals with cardiac surgery to the same procedure performed at community hospitals like Lawrence General without cardiac surgery on site. Because acceptance into the MASS COMM Trial is a pre-requisite for our approval as a community site for elective angioplasty. It signifies that we have reached an important milestone toward our goal of bringing elective angioplasty to the Merrimack Valley.

    Note: During the trial period, elective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) or non-emergency angioplasty is available at Lawrence General only to those patients who meet the MASS COMM trial inclusion criteria.

    Our Cardiac Care services include:

    • Emergency Care
    • Elective Angioplasty
    • Inpatient Care
    • Electrocardiogram (ECG/EKG)
    • Exercise Tolerance Testing (Stress EKG)
    • Echocardiography
    • Cardiac Catheterizations
    • Pacemaker Insertions and Generator (battery) Changes