Cardiac Cath
In April, Bartow Regional Medical Center added an important new feature to its array of patient services: a new Cardiac Cath Lab (catheterization laboratory). "The Cath Lab enables us to take pictures that show blockages or abnormalities in the coronary arteries," explains Lisa Wolfe, Cath Lab manager. "Prior to the opening of the lab, patients who required this testing had to travel to other facilities that are more than ten miles away."

The information provided by cardiac catheterization helps physicians confirm whether a patient has heart disease, evaluate the patient's heart muscle function, and determine whether the patient requires further treatment.

In addition to providing these crucial diagnostic services, the cath lab has just added interventional radiology services. "This means we now have the ability to open blocked arteries in non-coronary areas throughout the body," explains Wolfe. Procedures available include angioplasty, use of a balloon-tipped tube to enlarge a narrow artery, and stenting, insertion of a small tube which remains in the artery to keep it open.

"Our lab is used by board-certified cardiologists and staffed by an experienced group, several of whom have more than 15 years of experience in the field," says Wolfe. "We also provide bedside patient monitoring in our holding area, which is not available in most facilities.

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