Recently Raleigh Cardiology Associates celebrated its 30th anniversary in the WakeMed Heart Center Conference Center. To mark this occasion, I interviewed Dr. Mark Leithe, cardiologist with Raleigh Cardiology Associates, for his perspective on cardiovascular care in Wake County and how far it has progressed since 1979.
First and foremost, we have seen a precipitous drop in morbidity and mortality associated with coronary vascular disease. Through the development of the modern Cardiac Intensive Care Unit and technologies and procedures like cardiac catheterization, coronary bypass and intervention and better management of myocardial infarction, more people are living and thriving with heart disease.
WakeMed also now leads the state in terms of sheer volume for cardiovascular care. But, we didn’t start out that way. In 1979 when Raleigh Cardiology was started by Drs. Cheely and Mangano cardiovascular care was in its infancy, and WakeMed was not on the radar screen to become a Cardiovascular Center of Excellence. WakeMed and its physician partners have consistently offered high quality care and top-notch facilities that feature amenities like a hotel on the third floor. And, WakeMed’s administration has consistently worked to meet the needs of North Carolina and reach underserved areas in our state with services like Mobile Critical Care, which functions as a critical care unit on wheels or in the air.
Raleigh Cardiology has grown to include nine physicians that do everything from consultative cardiology to cardiac catheterization and intervention to management of vascular disease and heart rhythm pacing. I would like to say a heartfelt thank you to all of our patients, and staff both in our office and at WakeMed for making these past 30 years very successful. We look forward to serving North Carolinians for at least 30 more.
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