Chest Pain Center
When you experience chest pain, every second counts. Our expert team is ready to deliver rapid, life-saving care.
As Long Island’s only Chest Pain Center with Primary PCI & Resuscitation accreditation, Stony Brook Heart Institute is a leader in treating cardiac emergencies. Our approach ensures a swift and accurate assessment, diagnosis and treatment of heart attacks, with a steadfast focus on protecting heart muscle health.
From the moment you arrive at the Chest Pain Center, our focus is on immediate evaluation and intervention. By combining advanced technology with a highly skilled team, we consistently exceed national standards for heart attack care, ensuring you receive the best possible treatment when it matters most.
Why Chest Pain Center Accreditation Matters
Our American College of Cardiology accreditation means that Stony Brook is optimally equipped, trained and staffed to care for those during or after a heart attack (when one of the coronary arteries is blocked and the heart muscle is robbed of its vital blood supply) or a sudden cardiac arrest (when the heart malfunctions and suddenly stops beating). Patients arriving at Stony Brook University Hospital's ER with symptoms of a cardiac emergency are treated according to quality-of-care measures that are proven to achieve better patient outcomes.
Hospitals that have earned this designation have primary PCI with resuscitation available 24-hours-a-day, every day.
What is Primary PCI with Resuscitation?
PCI (primary percutaneous coronary intervention), also called angioplasty, is a non-surgical procedure used to open blocked coronary arteries before, during or after a heart attack or cardiac arrest. "Primary" PCI means that angioplasty is the key specialized treatment utilized for severe heart attacks. The term "resuscitation" refers to a state-of-the-art body-cooling therapy shown to improve a patient’s outcomes after cardiac arrest.
Using our "Code H" protocol, Stony Brook has achieved a “door-to-balloon” time — the amount of time between a heart attack patient coming through the door and the blocked arteries being cleared by a balloon-tipped catheter (angioplasty or PCI) — of just 54 minutes; 36 minutes sooner than the 90 minutes or less specified in American Heart Association guidelines.
Conditions Treated
Our center specializes in the urgent assessment and treatment of acute cardiac events. We are equipped to handle a range of critical conditions where rapid response is essential, including:
- Heart attack (Myocardial Infarction), including the most severe type, ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI)
- Sudden cardiac arrest
- Acute chest pain
- Unstable angina
Chest Pain Center Services
At Stony Brook's Chest Pain Center, our services integrate advanced protocols and technology to accelerate diagnosis and treatment.
- Dedicated cardiac emergency care: We have a trauma room specifically for patients with heart attack symptoms, with our Cardiac Catheterization team on standby for immediate intervention.
- Advanced pre-hospital diagnosis: Our interventional cardiologists receive EKG transmissions directly from EMS teams, allowing us to prepare specialized equipment before you even arrive.
- Immediate evaluation: Upon arrival, you are seen by a nurse who performs an EKG within 5 minutes — well below the national benchmark of 10 minutes — to ensure no time is lost.
- Rapid CT scanning: Our state-of-the-art 320-slice CT scanner provides fast, conclusive results to confirm or rule out a heart attack, avoiding lengthy and stressful delays. This technology can also identify early signs of heart disease, such as soft plaque.
If You Suspect a Heart Attack, What Should You Do?
It’s best to call 911, rather than drive or get a ride to the hospital. There are two big reasons for this:
- Ambulances are equipped with defibrillators, which can save your life if your heart attack triggers an unstable heart rhythm.
- Most Emergency Medical Services (EMS) are equipped with 12-lead EKGs in the ambulance, which means they can transmit results to the hospital electronically en route. At Stony Brook Heart Institute, we assemble the treatment team and equipment you need before you arrive.
