Deborah Heart and Lung Center unveils $20M expansion

By ED MOORHOUSE, Burlington County Times

PEMBERTON TOWNSHIP — Doctors at Deborah Heart and Lung Center yesterday unveiled a new electrophysiology suite that will allow them to better study and treat rhythmic problems in the heart. The suite is part of a $12 million hospital expansion that also includes a 14-room patient wing. The suite features enhanced imaging and mapping technology that can accurately diagram the heart's activity so an appropriate treatment can be recommended, such as a pacemaker or defibrillator.

The technology also includes a computer-controlled device, known as Stereotaxis GentleTouch Magnetic System, that uses magnets to steer catheters throughout a patient's cardiovascular system. “The Stereotaxis is a large magnet that allows us to enter up into the heart with a catheter instead of using our hands,” said Raffaele Corbisiero, chief of electrophysiology at Deborah. “It's going to be safer and more effective.” The catheter that is inserted into the patient's body has tiny magnets that are guided by larger magnets placed outside the body. Patients cannot feel the magnetic field pass through their body. “With congestive heart failure continuing to rise, this type of full-service EPS lab is critical in maintaining the health and well-being of an ever-aging population,” Corbisiero said.

The hospital's new patient wing includes 14, 150-square-foot private rooms. Most of the patient rooms at Deborah are double occupancy. “Patients will now have privacy in recovering and in being with their families,” said John Ernst, president and chief executive officer at Deborah. “Especially in a high-intense care facility, that privacy helps when you have a fair amount of recovering to do.”

Barbara Campbell, the chief nurse executive at Deborah, said the new rooms replace the hospital atmosphere with a hotel-like environment. “It's designed to meet the needs and expectations of baby boomers who want higher quality accommodations,” Campbell said. Each room features a hospital bed, couch, flat panel TV and roll-in shower.