Wynn Hospital in Utica, N.Y., plans to resume open-heart surgery sometime in January after an eight-month pause.
In May, Mohawk Valley Health System, which owns the hospital, said it was pausing the procedures after surveyors with the New York State Department of Health issued an immediate jeopardy warning. The system's then-COO, Rick Carvolth, MD, said the citation was related to issues with the open-heart surgery program's management "and some of the clinical decision making," rather than the facility itself or technology in use.
In June, the hospital resumed all structural heart procedures, though open-hearts remained on pause while an external agency conducted a review of the service. The health system anticipated it would take several months to re-launch open-heart surgeries once the review was complete.
"The goal is to relaunch the program with the utmost attention to safety and quality as they again offer open heart surgery to the community," William LeCates, MD, who was named COO of Mohawk Valley in July, said in a Jan. 8 statement to NBC affiliate WKTV.
Officials said surgeons and cardiac specialists at the hospital have undergone "extensive" preparation and training to resume the service.