The two-star designation for exceptional safety rates in percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) was awarded to, from left, Samin K. Sharma, MD; Annapoorna S. Kini, MD; and Pedro Moreno, MD.

For the 21st consecutive year, The Mount Sinai Hospital’s Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory or its interventionalists have received the highest two-star safety rating from the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) for percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI), also known as angioplasty. PCI— one of the most common procedures for patients with coronary artery disease— opens blocked arteries and restores normal blood flow to the heart.

Mount Sinai was the only hospital at which three interventionalists received the two-star designation for safety rates significantly exceeding the statewide average. The physicians recognized were Samin K. Sharma, MD, Director of Clinical and Interventional Cardiology at The Mount Sinai Hospital, and the Anandi Lal Sharma Professor of Medicine in Cardiology; Annapoorna S. Kini, MD, Director of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory, and the Zena and Michael A. Wiener Professor of Medicine; and Pedro Moreno, MD, Professor of Medicine (Cardiology). They performed a total of 6,529 PCI procedures from December 1, 2013, to November 30, 2016.

Mount Sinai’s exceptional ratings appeared in the latest NYSDOH report, released in April 2019, on the risk factors associated with PCI at 62 hospitals across New York State. The NYSDOH began publishing PCI safety ratings in 1995, in reports designed to help patients make better decisions about their care based upon a statistical review of each hospital’s data. “Patient safety is our top priority at The Mount Sinai Hospital Catheterization Laboratory,” Dr. Sharma says. “Our efficiency and safety outcomes are unparalleled, and we are very proud of this achievement, which is only possible because of the talented and dedicated interventional cardiology team.”

Dr. Kini says, “Our procedural outcomes data over the last several years support the statement that we have mastered the art of PCI. As a result, many patients who were considered too high-risk to receive care elsewhere are referred here. As we increasingly accept complex cases, our PCI complications continue to decline, which is a testament to the quality work this Cath Lab achieves.”

During the three-year period, The Mount Sinai Hospital had a risk-adjusted PCI mortality rate of 0.90 percent for all of its cases—emergency and non-emergency—significantly lower than the statewide average of 1.18 percent, while performing the largest number of procedures (10,888). For non-emergency cases, Mount Sinai’s PCI mortality rate was 0.58 percent, compared with the statewide average of 0.77 percent.

“I believe Mount Sinai is a leader in PCI for a few reasons,” says Dr. Moreno, Director of Cardiac Catheterization and Interventional Cardiology, Mount Sinai St. Luke’s. “Primarily, we have an extremely talented group of interventionalists and supporting staff. Second, we strictly abide by protocols and standards of care, while embracing new technologies and techniques, and finally, compassion and genuine concern for our patients’ health are our top priorities.”