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The Heart Center of Niagara

The ER1 Emergency Department and The Heart Center of Niagara represent an investment by Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center of $20 million in better health for the Greater Niagara region. Located on the corner of Walnut Avenue and 10th Street and connected to the medical center by an overhead walkway, this 56,000+-square-foot signature building reflects the emphasis Memorial is putting on improved emergency services and cardiac care. It also enhances Memorial's status as the only emergency room in Western New York that is fully integrated with a cardiac care center, giving patients 24/7 access to non-invasive PET diagnostic technology.

On the second floor of this new facility you'll find The Heart Center of Niagara, the only cardiac suite in Western New York featuring two leading technologies for non-invasive heart disease diagnosis: a Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scanner and a leading-edge, 64-slice Computed Tomography scanner.

The Heart Center is a comprehensive coronary care facility that emphasizes:

• Early diagnosis of heart disease using non-invasive state-of-the-art scanning, including the GE LightSpeed 64-slice CT scanner. The GE LightSpeed is so advanced it can complete a coronary angiogram in just five seconds – without the pain or risk inherent in an "old-style" invasive angiogram.
• Aggressive treatment designed to halt or reverse the progress of heart disease, with a focus on lifestyle changes (smoking cessation, healthier eating and regular exercise) combined with the use of anti-lipid drugs.
• Revolutionary approaches such as the implanting of biventricular pacemakers to treat chest pain and chronic heart disease.
• Enhanced External Counter Pulsation (EECP), a safe, non-surgical outpatient treatment for cardiac patients.
• The Heart Center also houses an expanded cardiopulmonary rehabilitation program in its very own gym, featuring the latest in exercise and monitoring equipment.

The Heart Center operates under the direction of Michael Merhige, MD, FACC, a Mayo Clinic-trained cardiologist.

Its clinical team includes some of the leading physicians in Western New York, including full-time cardioliogists Robert J. Neufeld, MD, FACC, and Eram Chaudhry, MD.

To arrange a cardiology or cardiopulmonary rehab appointment, schedule a test or get answers to your questions about cardiac PET, cardiac CT angiography, stress testing or other non-invasive diagnostic procedures, call Heart Center Coordinator Linda Curtis at 716.278.4300.