Mary Rutan Hospital has opened a Level II Cardiac Catheterization (cath) Laboratory, officials announced this week.
Services include interventional and diagnostic cardiac catheterization, peripheral vascular angiograms and intervention, pacemaker and defibrillator procedures, and loop recorder procedures.
For the community, this means access to emergency interventional heart care, with a cardiologist available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, beginning this month.
In addition to emergency services, scheduled procedures will be available locally in the new Heart & Vascular Clinic, minimizing the need for patients to travel far from home.
“We recognized a need for quicker access to these services in Logan County,” said Chad Ross, Mary Rutan Hospital chief operations officer.
“With the high volume of heart attack patients in our emergency department, we knew we needed a level II Cath Lab at Mary Rutan Hospital. Enabling our cardiologists to place stents and perform other cardiac interventions without having to transport patients during the most critical time for intervention. Time is muscle, so the faster patients can be treated, the greater the potential to save lives.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States. Each year, about 805,000 Americans have a heart attack, which is one every 40 seconds. The chances of surviving a heart attack increases significantly when emergency treatment begins quickly.
“When experiencing a heart attack, a delay in restoring blood flow to the heart muscle can result in greater damage and a higher likelihood of death,” explains Mary Rutan Hospital’s cardiologist Dr. Lou Vadlamani.
“With the opening of the Level II Cath Lab at Mary Rutan Hospital, we can diagnose and treat acute blockages in the coronary artery on-site, which gives the community increased access to potentially life-saving care. We now have the team and the technology to get this done quickly and without having to transfer the patient to another facility.”
Board Certified Interventional Cardiologists Dr. Lou Vadlamani and Dr. John Fry lead the cardiovascular team of trained interventional nurses and technologists at Mary Rutan Hospital.
The new team approach integrates EMS, emergency department, cardiac catheterization lab and critical care services to provide efficient and effective responses to local cardiac emergencies.
“Achieving a Level II Cath Lab certification is a major step forward in the growth of our cardiovascular care,” said Michael Hoehn, Mary Rutan Hospital director of cardiology. “With cardiologists available 24/7, we can respond quickly to patient needs for cardiac studies and interventional procedures, and our advanced technology will provide our cardiologists the in-lab imaging and diagnostic capabilities needed for today’s complex treatments.”
Symptoms of a heart attack include chest pain, shortness of breath, pain or discomfort in the upper body, nausea, lightheadedness, and cold sweats. Individuals experiencing these symptoms should seek emergency medical care as quickly as possible.
Patients who seek heart attack treatment at Mary Rutan Hospital will now be cared for by a 24/7 heart and vascular team specially trained to perform cardiac interventions.
For more information on Mary Rutan Hospital, visit www.maryrutan.org.