Open-heart surgeries at Wynn Hospital in Utica, N.Y., continue to be on hold following an immediate jeopardy citation issued to the facility May 7. The hospital began its 40-day review period this week and surgeries should resume at the end of that time, a spokesperson confirmed to Becker's.
A plan of correction has been submitted, and the hospital is continuing to "make progress on cardiac surgery," Darlene Stromstad, president and CEO of Mohawk Valley Health System, which owns the hospital, said in a statement to Becker's.
"We continue making progress on cardiac surgery. First, we have entered into an agreement for a comprehensive review of the program by an outside firm. The review will take about 40 days," Ms. Stromstad said. "We have also identified cardiac surgeons to provide coverage of the structural heart program over the next few months. Additionally, we are in active conversations with individual surgeons and groups about their interest in MVHS. We remain steadfast in our commitment to the cardiac surgery program, and I am very encouraged by the activity I am seeing."
No other cardiac services are currently being affected at the hospital by the citation or the review process.
"This includes stents, angioplasties, cardiac catheterizations and minimally invasive cardiac procedures. Thoracic surgeries will also continue as they have been," Mohawk Valley announced via a May 8 news release. "The community should continue to look to the Wynn Hospital for all cardiac treatment – especially for time-sensitive issues such as heart attacks."
The pause will continue while the hospital works to strengthen the service. Mohawk Valley Health System COO Rick Carvolth, MD, told the Observer-Dispatch, May 10 that the hospital had been "seeing a reduction in referrals" to its open-heart surgery program and added that there "were also seeing some complications and some deaths that were of concern."
An external review of its open-heart program is being conducted as well, according to the May 8 release.