New Cardiac Catheterization Lab Opens at Texas Health Allen
ALLEN, TEXAS, January 27, 2014 – In the event of a cardiac emergency, time is the enemy. According to Greg Pipes, M.S., R.T. (R) (CT) (CV), ACHE, C.R.A., director of radiology and invasive cardiology at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Allen, with a quick diagnosis and the right technology, heart muscle can be saved.
“When an artery narrows or closes up, the heart tissue is deprived of blood, and therefore oxygen, damaging the muscle and making it weaker. Being able to quickly assess the severity of the blockages and provide necessary treatment is imperative to saving the heart muscle, which translates to a better recovery and improved quality of life afterwards,” Pipes said.
On Jan. 6, Texas Health Allen opened a new cardiac catheterization (cath) laboratory to provide residents of Allen and surrounding areas a convenient, local option for diagnos
tic cardiac procedures and screenings.
“The new cath lab will enhance the hospital’s ability to screen for and treat cardiovascular disease, which is another example of how Texas Health Allen is working to meet the needs of our growing community,” Jeff Reecer, FACHE, president of Texas Health Allen, said. “Allen residents no longer have to travel outside of their community to have access to state-of-the-art technology.”
The addition of the lab will provide the cardiologists on the medical staff with the tools to perform sophisticated diagnostic procedures and screenings that can identify heart disease and heart defects, as well as potentially-life threatening narrowing of the arteries. Current services will include diagnostic heart catheterizations, echocardiograms, stress testing, nuclear imaging, as well as evaluation and treatment of diseased non-cardiac blood vessels.
The goal for the program over the next 12 months is to move from diagnostic cardiac procedures to providing a full complement of cardiovascular interventional services. Future services will progress towards a full-service interventional cath lab.
“Cardiac catheterization is a life-saving medical procedure that is used to diagnose and treat blockages in a patient’s artery that can lead to a heart attack,” Mark Peterman, M.D., board-certified cardiologist on the medical staff and medical director of heart and vascular services at Texas Health Allen, said.
“Interventional cardiology is moving more than ever out of the operating room and into the cath lab,” Dr. Peterman said. “With the advanced capabilities now available at Texas Health Allen, we are able to accurately diagnose coronary artery disease with an invasive, low-risk cath lab procedure. This is an excellent advantage to patients, who in past years would have had to be transferred for this service.”
For more information about the services offered at Texas Health Allen, visit www.TexasHealth.org/Allen
About Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Allen
Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Allen is a 73-bed acute-care hospital serving the northern Collin County area since 2000. The hospital’s services include women’s services, a Level II neonatal intensive care unit, orthopedics, pediatrics, wound care and sleep medicine. Texas Health Allen, an affiliate of the faith-based, nonprofit Texas Health Resources system, has more than 500 physicians on its medical staff practicing in more than 25 specialties. For more information, call 1-877-THR-WELL or visit www.TexasHealth.org/Allen.
About Texas Health Resources
Texas Health Resources is one of the largest faith-based, nonprofit health systems in the United States. The health system includes 24 acute care and short-stay hospitals that are owned, operated, joint-ventured or affiliated with Texas Health Resources. It includes the Texas Health Presbyterian, Texas Health Arlington Memorial and Texas Health Harris Methodist hospitals, a large physician group, outpatient facilities, and home health, preventive and fitness services, and an organization for medical research and education.
For more information about Texas Health Resources, call 1-877-THR-WELL, or visit www.texashealth.org.
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Doctors on the medical staff practice independently and are not employees or agents of the hospital.