MDNews - Long Island

"Dr. Avgerinos [Dimitrios V. Avgerinos, MD, PhD, assistant professor of clinica l ca rdiothoracic surger y] tra ined a nd completed a fellowship at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork- Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center," Dr. Lang says. "He is an expert surgeon with an interest in aortic surgery. I've been at Weill Cornell Medicine since 1986. Between us we have a wide experience in cardiac surgical procedures." The most common open cardiac surgeries performed at NewYork-Presbyterian Queens are coronary artery bypass, valve surgery and aortic surgery, Dr. Lang says. Many cardiac diseases are now addressed in a minimally invasive fashion, including percutaneous cardiac interventions, such as stent placement. This means the patients who do require cardiac bypass surgery tend to have very complicated issues. Now, more than ever, cardiac surgeons must be extremely proficient in a variety of approaches and levels of intervention, as is the case with Dr. Lang and his colleagues. "There is no substitute for experience," Dr. Lang says. "One thing we've seen in coronary artery bypass surgery is that patients have more extensive and more complex diseases. Since we now have techniques to manage patients without surgery, the challenge is to maintain a high-quality program to address complex cases." HERE FOR QUEENS NewYork-Presbyterian Queens' cardiologists understand they are essential care providers in the borough and a much-needed resource to the communities they ser ve. To better meet that need, they routinely spend time outside of the hospita l setting, meeting patients where they a re. From teaching appointments and clinic visits to outreach in public settings, these physicia ns continuously educate their colleag ues, patients and neighbors. The cardiolog y service's network of clinics are a vita l part of this outreach mission, which a llows patients to obta in basic screenings close to home. W hile advanced tests, such tra nsesopha gea l echoca rdiog raphy, CT a nd MR I, a re a l l performed in-hospital, stress tests, transthoracic echocardio- grams, calcium scoring and other screening tests are available throughout the community. " We have severa l cardiolog y sites throughout Queens, so we are convenient to patients where they live, with no need for them to travel, Dr. Pontone says. "Many of these oªces have on-site parking, too. We are able to triage patients from location to location, so if a test is not available at one site, we can send the patient to the appropriate clinic." Dr. Slotwiner adds, " We have multispecialty practices set up in a ll the major areas of Queens, and we are opening more. At any site, patients can see a cardiologist the same day, as well as receive testing. They don't have to travel to Flushing for many services; they can stay right in their own neighborhood." Dr. Pontone reg ularly visits cardiac testing sites; he a lso goes to senior centers, businesses a nd other loca l venues, presenting heart hea lth lectures and teaching people about risk factors for cardiac disease. " We pride ourselves on being a community based hospital, so most of our patients come to us from private physicians or small groups of cardiologists in the area," Dr. Slotwiner says. "More than half our patients are cared for by community physicians, so it is very important to provide resources to those doctors. This past year we gave a free Continuing Medica l Education (CME) symposium. We a lso oer interactive sessions a nd training for a llied professiona ls." As Chief of Cardiolog y, Dr. Slotwiner also makes it a point to visit local physicians in their oªces, as he says, "hearing their needs and understanding what we need to do to serve them as best we can is important." Whether they are in the community or working from the hospital, NewYork-Presby terian Queens cardiology experts are a driving force for location heart health. For more information, visit nyhq.org. ■ Sam Lang, MD CH A IR OF CA RDIOTHOR ACIC Surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian Queens and professor of clinical cardiothoracic surgery at Weill Cornell Medicine, Dr. Lang earned his medical degree from the University of Alabama School of Medicine. He served a residency at the Center for Health Sciences at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and completed fellowships in cardiothoracic surgery at the Center for Health Sciences, UCLA and NYU Langone Health. Board-certified in cardiothoracic surgery, Dr. Lang is a Diplomate of the National Board of Medical Examiners. He is also a member of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons. An experienced teacher and surgeon, Dr. Lang has been publishing case studies and other articles about cardiotho- racic surgery since 1986. He is a skilled surgeon who has taught the techniques of open-heart surgery to numerous younger physicians. Dr. Sam Lang is Chair of Cardiothoracic Surgery at NewYork- Presbyterian Queens. 1 0C O V E R S T O R Y 1 0

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