New cath lab at LMH Health is close to completion
By Caroline Trowbridge, LMH Health
Dr. Roger Dreiling is a self-confessed adrenaline junkie who isn’t bothered when his phone rings at 2 a.m.
“I still get goosebumps on my arms,” said Dreiling, an interventional cardiologist at LMH Health. “You can do a lot of good at 2 a.m. because somebody’s trying to die.”
He’s happy to help LMH Health patients – any time of day – by locating and repairing blockages in their arteries and veins.
Soon, Dr. Dreiling and other physicians will be saving lives in a renovated heart catheterization lab on the first floor of the hospital where nearly 500 procedures are performed annually.
“The old equipment had reached the end of its life,” said he Dr. Dreiling of Cardiovascular Specialists of Lawrence. “It’s new equipment, and because it’s new, there will be less radiation, and we’ll have better ability to monitor the amount of radiation the patient receives in a long procedure. The visualization also is going to be better because it’s new technology.”
Staff also will benefit from the emission of less radiation.
The new lab – often referred to as the cath lab – should be ready for patients in early February, said Brian Bradfield, associate vice president for ancillary services, which include the catheterization lab.
In addition, the new equipment will allow patients to remain in Lawrence for some procedures, including some diagnostic electrophysiology studies that will map electrical impulses in patients’ heart to help determine whether they need a pacemaker.
In addition, some procedures will help patients with heart arrhythmia.
“That’s really exciting for 50 patients or more each year to stay here in Lawrence and receive care at LMH Health,” Bradfield said.
Bradfield said that in addition to new equipment – which he said is on par with what is in large heart institutes – patient privacy and comfort were high priorities during the cath lab renovation. Once the project is complete, more space will be devoted to patient and family areas, which will be completed in early May.
The LMH Health Foundation provided funds for about half the cost of the $2.5 million renovation – thanks to gifts from individual donors, as well as organizations.
Caroline Trowbridge is marketing communications manager for LMH Health. She can be reached at caroline.trowbridge@lmh.org.
