Patient Bill Regan with, from left: Robin Varghese, MD; Pilar Stevens-Haynes, MD; and Jason
Freeman, MD—members of the coordinated team that treated him on Long Island and in Manhattan.
Even before an official partnership was finalized in December 2018, specialists from the Mount Sinai Health System were collaborating with physicians at South Nassau Communities Hospital to provide advanced and coordinated care to Long Island patients. For 67-year-old Bill Regan, a retired financial services executive from Massapequa, this new relationship proved to be life-saving.
It was in March 2018 that Mr. Regan decided to try a new primary care physician—this time, at South Nassau Primary Care at Bellmore. During his first visit to Carolyne McHyman, DO, Mr. Regan provided the details of his medical history, which included a carotid endarterectomy, a surgical procedure to clear blockages in the carotid artery in the neck, and prescriptions for high blood pressure and high cholesterol. The former long-time smoker told Dr. McHyman that he was “generally in good health,” but when he also mentioned some daytime fatigue and left leg discomfort when he walked long distances, she ordered several diagnostic tests.
They included a chest CT scan, as part of The Mount Sinai Hospital’s Early Detection Lung Cancer Screening program; an ultrasound of the abdominal aorta to check circulation and to rule out an aortic aneurysm, an abnormal bulge in the aorta; a consultation to rule out a sleep disorder; and a recommendation to see his cardiologist, Pilar Stevens-Haynes, MD, for an evaluation.
The CT scan of the lungs, while negative for lung cancer, showed calcification in his aorta. The ultrasound of the abdominal aorta also showed narrowing of the left iliac artery in his pelvis, while a magnetic resonance angiography, which provides detailed images of blood vessels in the body, revealed a 90 percent blockage of that artery. “Honestly, I didn’t worry about my health, but these test results blindsided me,” recalls Mr. Regan.
Meanwhile, Dr. Stevens-Haynes recommended a cardiac catheterization to check for any blockages of his coronary arteries. “Bill didn’t have previous symptoms of chest pain, but coronary artery calcification can be associated with major adverse cardiovascular events, and we needed to get to the bottom of it,” says Dr. Stevens-Haynes.
When Jason Freeman, MD, Director of Interventional Cardiology at South Nassau Communities Hospital, performed the cardiac catheterization on April 24, he discovered that Mr. Regan’s left main and circumflex coronary arteries that supply blood to his heart were significantly blocked and could not be treated with stents, expandable tubes used to open clogged arteries. Now, Mr. Regan would need open-heart surgery—a diagnosis that was made immediately by Robin Varghese, MD, Associate Professor of Cardiovascular Surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, who was at South Nassau that day.
South Nassau’s Center for Cardiovascular Health has long been known for its outstanding care. It is a recipient of Healthgrades’ 2019 Coronary Intervention Excellence Award and five stars for its performance in coronary interventional procedures, placing it among the top 10 percent in the nation; however, it does not perform cardiac surgery.
“When I met with Dr. Varghese, the heart surgeon, I was very anxious, but I came out feeling this is going to be okay,” Mr. Regan says. “He walked me through what the procedure entailed. He had a diagram of the heart and the arteries, and he was positive, calming, and reassuring. He made me feel like ‘we got this and this is what we do every day.’”
Long Island patient Bill Regan was able to receive postoperative care, including cardiac rehabilitation, close to home in South Nassau.
On April 30, Dr. Varghese and his team at The Mount Sinai Hospital performed the three-hour surgery to restore blood flow to Mr. Regan’s heart. “After surgery, we took Bill to our Cardiac Surgery Intensive Care Unit,” says Dr. Varghese, who is also Director of Cardiovascular Critical Care for the Mount Sinai Health System. “He was sitting up in the chair in no time and looking great. He surprised us all.” Within four days, Mr. Regan was released from the hospital and was back home on the South Shore under the supervision of South Nassau’s Homecare program, attending church two days later in Massapequa.
“My entire experience was coordinated and supported by the most wonderful people from South Nassau and Mount Sinai,” says Mr. Regan. “I feel blessed, thankful, and overwhelmed with gratitude to everyone, and I mean everyone, involved in my treatment and recovery at South Nassau and Mount Sinai.”
After he was released from South Nassau’s Homecare program, vascular surgeon Xenophon Xenophontos, MD, performed a successful angioplasty of the left iliac artery. Mr. Regan also participated in South Nassau’s Cardiac Rehabilitation program at South Nassau’s Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation Therapy (SMART) Center in Oceanside, which he completed three months ago. Mr. Regan says he plans to return to the SMART Center this month for additional exercise programs.
Having access to advanced specialty care at The Mount Sinai Hospital while being able to stay close to home for pre- and postoperative care offers many benefits for patients. “Continuity of care is a key component of quality of care, especially when treating patients with multiple conditions,” says Adhi Sharma, MD, Executive Vice President for Clinical and Professional Affairs and Chief Medical Officer at South Nassau. “The care was not only life-saving for Bill, but a seamless journey and patient experience.”
