SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University Is First To Use Amplatzer Septal Occluder In Brooklyn
Sep 12, 2005
SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University's University Hospital at Downstate is the first in the borough to treat heart defects using the Amplatzer Septal Occluder, an expandable double-disk implant delivered through a catheter.
Jonathan Marmur, M.D., Director of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory and Interventional
Cardiology at Downstate, is the first physician to use the Amplatzer device in Brooklyn.
The Amplatzer gives physicians the ability to correct problems such as atrial septal
defect, a congenital heart disorder characterized by a hole in the muscular wall of
the heart, through cardiac catheterization as opposed to open-heart surgery.
A small incision is made in the patient's groin area and the occluder's delivery system
is inserted through a vein. The physician then directs the catheter up to the heart,
where the doctor opens up the implant and closes the hole.
The FDA approved the Amplatzer in 2001. It is made of wire mesh and polyester fabric.
Patients with extensive cardiac abnormalities, infections, or blood clots in and around
the heart cannot undergo this procedure; likewise those allergic to nickel and those
who cannot take aspirin or blood thinners should not be treated with this device.
SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University is located at 450 Clarkson Avenue. It is the only academic medical center in Brooklyn and serves more than 2 million people throughout the borough.
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About SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University
Downstate Health Sciences University in Brooklyn is one of four academic health centers (AMCs) in The State University of New York (SUNY) 64-campus system and the only SUNY AMC in New York City dedicated to health education, research, and patient care for the borough’s 2.7 million residents. Its flagship hospital, University Hospital at Downstate (UHD), is a teaching hospital and benefits from the expertise of Downstate’s exceptional medical school and world-class academic center research facilities. With a staff of over 800 physicians representing 53 specialties and subspecialties, Downstate offers comprehensive healthcare services to the community.
UHD provides high-risk neonatal and infant services, pediatric nephrology, and dialysis for kidney diseases and is the only kidney transplantation program in Brooklyn. Beyond its clinical expertise, Downstate houses a range of esteemed educational institutions, including its College of Medicine, College of Nursing, School of Health Professions, School of Graduate Studies, and School of Public Health. Downstate fosters innovation through its multifaceted biotechnology initiative, the Biotechnology Incubator and BioBAT, which support early-stage and more mature biotech companies.