The new cardiac catheterization lab at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas will feature a powerful imaging system to assist medical staff physicians with minimally invasive procedures to help correct heart and blood vessel issues. The Discovery IGS 730 is the first of its kind to be used in a cath lab in Texas.
The lab was designed to accommodate the new digital imaging system. A surfaced floor was added to make travel easy, and strategically placed sensors on the walls allow the guidance system to move to its designated location.
The Discovery IGS 730 has its digital imaging system mounted on a mobile gantry that moves along predefined pathways, guided by laser. With one touch of a button, a physician can move it to the table to image any part of the anatomy then power it back, out of the way, to precise pre-chosen positions.
“There are a number of advantages in using this caliber of imaging for procedures such as stent placement or angioplasty,” said Dr. James Park, medical director of heart and vascular services and the cardiac cath lab at Texas Health Dallas, and Presbyterian Heart & Vascular Group physician, a Texas Health Physicians Group practice. “As the operator I can get a clearer picture allowing for a more accurate graft placement.”
Park added that both patients and cath lab employees will benefit from the real-time radiation monitoring and assessments that take place more frequently throughout the procedure.
“From a safety and well-being standpoint, with this new advancement we experience just 5 to 10 percent of the previous dose of radiation we received in the past. Though it’s always been an extremely low exposure rate, this new feature lowers it by 90 to 95 percent,” he said.
In addition, the device includes recording and transmitting capabilities for student teaching purposes at other locations.
Since opening in mid-July, medical staff physicians in the new cath lab have completed approximately 100 procedures. For more information about heart and vascular services at Texas Health Dallas, visit TexasHealth.org/dallas-heart.
Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas is an 898-bed acute care hospital and recognized clinical program leader, having provided compassionate care to the residents of Dallas and surrounding communities since 1966. U.S. News and World Report has ranked Texas Health Dallas among the nation’s best hospitals in digestive disorders, orthopedics, and neurology and neurosurgery. An affiliate of the faith-based, nonprofit Texas Health Resources system, Texas Health Dallas has approximately 4,000 employees and an active medical staff of more than 1,000 physicians. For more information, call 1-877-THR-WELL, or visit TexasHealth.org/Dallas.