CLEARFIELD – Clearfield Hospital formally unveiled their upgraded cardiac catheterization lab on Wednesday.
The lab has been in the process of being upgraded for a little over a year now. The cardiac catheterization lab is now equipped with the latest technology, including a state-of-the-art flat panel digital imaging system that allows for visualization of even the smallest coronary vessels.
“The flat panel detector shows the finest detail with reduced radiation exposure time for the patient,” said Talon Condon, catheterization lab manager.
The whole process, including testing and observation, used 23 hours. Now the process takes half-an-hour.
According to state Department of Health statistics, heart disease is the number one health threat facing Clearfield County residents.
“Countless deaths from heart disease could be prevented through early diagnosis and proper treatment,” said David J. McConnell, acting president and CEO of Clearfield Hospital. “Upgrading our cardiac catheterization lab is another way Clearfield Hospital is meeting the community’s health care needs.”
Technological upgrades to the lab were made possible with guidance and support from DuBois Regional Medical Center and Corazon Consultants.
“It’s been a wonderful collaboration,” said Condon. “The Heart Center and Corazon helped us through the renovation process and trained our catherization lab nurses and and radiology technicians on the latest techniques.”
The purpose of the lab is to find out if a person has disease in their coronary arteries and, if so, to pinpoint the size and location of fat and calcium deposits. Candidates for the low-risk diagnostic procedure at Clearfield Hospital include a person who has a positive stress test and is not having any other symptoms, or person who has had some form of cardiac testing and continues to have complaints but does not have acute symptoms like chest pain.
If a blockage or other problem is detected, Clearfield Hospital will transfer the patient to a medical facility that performs advanced cardiac procedures such as the Heart Center of DRMC.
“The cardiac catherization lab at Clearfield Hospital is a very important medical service for this community. People won’t have to travel out of town to have this vital diagnostic procedure performed,” said Dr. John Ahn, local cardiologist.
Since Monday, 10 patients have visited the lab as of Thursday, according to Condon. To learn more about the catheterization lab, contact the Clearfield Hospital.