SSM Health Good Samaritan Hospital in Mt. Vernon has expanded cardiac care by introducing procedures previously more commonly performed at St. Louis hospitals.
Cardiologist Dr. Lincoln Shenje is now performing heart catheterization procedures while utilizing CT scans, ultrasound imaging and other technology in cooperation with SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital. The expanded services can reduce the number of trips Southern Illinois patients need to make to St. Louis for treatment.
Good Samaritan recently completed its first PFO closure, a procedure used to close a small opening between chambers of the heart that can be associated with strokes. Shenje said new technology in the hospital’s catheterization lab allows physicians to view inside the heart during such procedures.
Shenje joined Good Samaritan about six months ago after previously practicing at SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital in Jefferson City, Missouri.
Originally from Zimbabwe, Shenje studied in the United Kingdom before continuing his medical training in the United States, including residency training at Mount Sinai and additional training at Johns Hopkins University.