St. Luke’s Medical Center Global City cements its position as the premier hospital for modern coronary angiogram and coronary angioplasty with the opening of its third, and newest, Cardiovascular Catheterization Laboratory (Cathlab) dedicated to coronary artery disease patients.
“Our new Cathlab provides better imaging of the coronary arteries,” says Dr. Jose Nicolas M. Cruz, Head of the Cathlab at St. Luke’s Global City. “We use the Cathlab to diagnose the presence or absence of coronary artery disease, while also determining the significance of these diseases. This can be the difference between a patient requiring major coronary treatment, or simply not needing it.”
St. Luke’s Global City’s new Cathlab is only the second of its kind in Southeast Asia. It houses state-of-the-art facilities, among which include the Philips Azurion 7 Image-Guided Therapy System, with a ceiling mounted C-arm that maximizes treatment speed by treating patients from a variety of positions, and a Flexvision XL 58-inch monitor capable of displaying multiple images in an array of layouts tailored for specific procedures. The new Cathlab is also equipped with a Volcano CORE Mobile System—a first in the Philippines—which provides a full suite of imaging and physiology tools, allowing cardiologists to determine if abnormalities are significant, and enabling them to determine whether a stent (a small mesh tube that doctors insert into blocked vessels or ducts to keep the passageway open and restore blood flow) is required or not.
“Volcano is capable of determining whether the flow of blood is good or not, based on pressure readings. It can also further verify the severity of blockages or tightening areas that appear on angiograms,” says Dr. Cruz. “This information can steer the patient away from having to do an unnecessary angioplasty, stent, or even bypass.”
The Cathlab is a life-saving facility for patients having a heart attack. Other patients who may qualify for a Cathlab procedure may include those who are on maximum heart disease medication, but still have chest pains and are easily fatigued.
St. Luke’s Global City’s new Cathlab is designed to improve the workflow of the hospital’s interventional cardiologists, which leads to shorter procedure times, fewer complications for patients, and good clinical outcomes. The new Cathlab produces clear, crisp images using lower doses of radiation, which means both patients and medical staff deal with less radiation exposure.
St. Luke’s adapts to the ever-changing landscape of treatment for coronary artery disease with the acquisition of this new Cathlab system. It is yet another addition among the latest diagnostic and therapeutic modalities in the management of cardiovascular diseases available at the St. Luke’s Global City Heart Institute.
If you are experiencing any heart disease-related symptoms, schedule an appointment today with a St. Luke’s Cardiologist. You may contact the St. Luke’s Global City Heart Institute at trunkline 789-7700 ext. 2000/2010.
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