New Cath Lab Brings Cutting-edge Cardiac Care to Cleveland Residents
Previously, residents in and around Cleveland, Texas, had to travel 30 to 40 minutes or further for just about any type of cardiac catheterization procedure. But with Texas Emergency Hospital’s new state-of-the-art Cath Lab, the facility’s board-certified healthcare professionals can treat and diagnose those heart-related conditions quickly and effectively just down the road.
Of course, at Texas Emergency Hospital, a crucial resource is the people. The new Cath Lab is operated by one full-time and three part-time radiologic technicians. The intervention technologists scrub and work on all cases, from setting up the power injector to panning the x-ray table and controlling the scanning equipment to assisting physicians with coronary interventions and pacemaker implants. The lab is also staffed with one full-time and three part-time RNs who assess and monitor all cases. They are also responsible for administering all medications and ensuring that patients remain comfortable throughout the procedure. All technologists and RNs are BLS (Basic Life Support) and ACLS (Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support) certified.
The hospital also employs two full-time pre-op/PACU nurses who receive both outpatients and inpatients, the latter typically staying only 30 to 120 minutes in the PACU after their procedure. Patients with further needs are admitted to the hospital telemetry unit for further monitoring.
At these professionals’ disposal is a Cath Lab full of leading-edge technology, the centerpiece of which is the GE Innova 3100-IQ cardiovascular flat-panel imaging system that can perform a wide range of functions, from cardiac to angio (blood vessels), neuro to peripheral exams, and vascular to coronary interventions, all on a single platform. It includes a 30 cm x 30 cm detector for clear resolution and software (a dynamic range management algorithm with AutoEx exposure optimization) that can achieve the best possible image quality while reducing the radiation dose to the patient. Other software programs include StentViz to get better visualization of stents; InnovaChase, which can follow contrast bolus at a rate of 5 frames per second; and Innova Vision, for live 3D rotational images at a single click.
The lab also uses top-of-the-line vascular closing devices, like Cardinal Health’s MYNX Vascular Closure Device and Terumo’s ANGIO-SEAL VCD, which improve patient comfort and reduce bed rest time after a percutaneous procedure. Texas Emergency Hospital also uses the newest drug eluting stent delivery system, EluNir Ridaforolimus, along with a complete line of balloons, stents, and wires.
With all these resources, the Cath Lab can now routinely perform left and right heart catheterizations, coronary interventions like stents, peripheral vascular interventions, intra-aortic balloon pump insertions, and permanent and temporary pacemaker and defibrillator implants—pretty much a one-stop shop for patients’ cardiac needs. And it’s all right here in Cleveland, continuing Texas Emergency Hospital’s commitment to being your hometown healthcare.