New Cath Lab improves cardiac procedures for our children and young people
The ribbon has been cut to officially open our Children’s Hospital Cardiac Catheterisation Laboratory (Cath Lab) after a £2.1million upgrade, which includes state-of-art angiographic biplane equipment that will revolutionise the care we offer to patients.
The newly refurbished facility was officially opened by our Trust Chairman, Professor Sir Bruce Keogh and Claire Donnelly, Chair from Young at Heart, a local charity who offer help and support to families of babies and children diagnosed with heart defects.
Our Cath Lab team performs about 450 cardiac catheterisation procedures every year with 350 being interventional or therapeutic cardiac keyhole surgeries. These procedures are performed under x-ray guidance with two separate x-ray tubes, due to the complexity of the procedures.
The new biplane facility, which was funded by the NHS Capital budget, will improve the quality of the diagnostic and interventional cardiac catheterisation procedures in children and young people with congenital heart disease (CHD).
Dr Chetan Mehta, Consultant Paediatric Cardiologist, said: “The new system has significant advantages. The most striking one being reduction in the radiation dose ranging from 25 to 75 per cent to the patient, compared to the previous system.
“This is essential for children with CHD, who will need such repeated procedures with the cumulative risks of radiation over time. This system also reduces the radiation exposure to members of our team working in the Cath Lab environment.
“The quality of diagnostic imaging is exceptionally good at ultra-low doses. It has the capability of 3D rotational angiography providing a good 3D image of the heart and its relations to surrounding structures.”
The new facility allows integration of electrophysiological studies of the heart reducing the need for more equipment and separate screens. There are also distinctive features like enhanced stent visualisation, which allows the stent and the devices to be seen clearly inside the patient while it is being deployed.
Shaun Jackson, Vital Services Director of Estates, said: “A project like this doesn’t get done without people helping each other and although there have been difficulties and issues while doing it, there’s never been a sense that it can’t be done. It’s all been really positive.
Graham Walsh, Project Manager for our Vital Services who coordinated the refurbishment, said: “It’s been a challenge, a very big challenge but it was all completed in 19 weeks, on schedule, which has been a fantastic achievement.”
Following the ribbon cutting, Professor Sir Bruce Keogh said: “I would like to say a really big thank you to everyone who has contributed to this new Cath Lab, it looks absolutely splendid.”