WARWICK – Kent Hospital is seeking approval to perform both emergency and elective coronary angioplasty procedures. The hospital recently submitted a letter of intent to the R.I. Department of Health and within the next several weeks Kent will submit a full application for a certificate of need.
Coronary angioplasty, also known as percutaneous coronary intervention, is a non-surgical procedure that can reduce or eliminate narrowing in heart arteries. The procedure is the standard of care for patients with heart attacks, must be performed within minutes of the onset of a heart attack and can be lifesaving. Angioplasty is also effective in relieving symptoms among stable patients who experience chest discomfort or angina due to coronary artery disease. Currently, there are three hospitals in the state (two in Providence and one in Woonsocket) that offer the procedure.
“Kent Hospital is an extremely busy and important community hospital that is vital to its large catchment area in the southern half of Rhode Island,” said Dr. Chester Hedgepeth III, executive chief of cardiology for Care New England Cardiovascular Care and the Brigham and Women’s Cardiovascular Associates at Care New England. “Kent Hospital has made major investments in building its cardiology program in the last four years and is well-positioned to provide this lifesaving program to the community.”
