Paris Regional Medical Center (PRMC) today announced plans for a Cardiac Center of Excellence on the hospital’s North Campus. The Heart Institute will be dedicated to the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of heart disease.

“By creating a cardiac center of excellence, we are making a bold statement to the entire region,” said Khalid Shafiq, M.D., PRMC’s chief of staff. “We’re serious about providing state-of-the-art care on the level usually offered only in large metropolitan markets.”

The Heart Center will create the regions most comprehensive cardiac care center and give residents of northeastern Texas and southeastern Oklahoma access to advanced cardiac care close to home.

“Heart disease is the number one killer in Texas and across the country,” said PRMC CEO Chris Dux. “That is why we are creating an entire center of excellence to fight it.”

PRMC’s Cardiac Center of Excellence will feature:
• Chest Pain Center, an emergency room that makes chest pain its only priority, allowing physicians to diagnose and begin treatment at the earliest possible moment
• Cardiac surgical services, including open heart
• Two brand new Cardiac Catheterization Laboratories
• A new 64-Slice CT, advanced non-invasive imaging technology that can produce unprecedented 3-D images of the heart in seconds
• A six-bed Cardiac Intensive Care Unit
• A dedicated 32-bed cardiac inpatient unit
• Cardiac Monitoring Systems

“Patients won’t need to go to Dallas any more because we’ll have the most modern cardiac facility right here in Paris,” said Arjumand Hashmi, M.D., cardiology medical director for PRMC. “But as important as technology is to excellent patient care, what will set the Heart Institute apart is its emphasis on caring for the individual needs of each patient. We’re going to redefine how cardiovascular care is delivered in our region.”

Hospital officials expect the Heart Institute to be operational by the end of December.