State-of-the-art labs bring complex heart care to East Metro
A new level of cardiac care is now available in the suburban East Metro.
Five new cardiac catherization laboratories equipped with state-of-the-art technology opened this month at M Health Fairview St. John’s Hospital. With the opening of the labs, St. John’s is now the only hospital in the East Metro suburbs offering tertiary cardiac care – a higher level of specialty care that includes access to complex interventional cardiology procedures, advanced cardiac electrophysiology procedures, and hybrid procedures that combine cardiac surgery with transcatheter interventional and structural heart procedures or cardiothoracic surgery with electrophysiology procedures.
These new facilities will bring world-class heart care closer to home for people across the East Metro and western Wisconsin.
“Our team has decades of experience performing these complex heart procedures,” said Mudassar Ahmed, MD, M Health Fairview interventional cardiologist and medical director of the new labs. “Now we’re able to do these same procedures and more in a brand-new environment with the latest tools and techniques, expanding and improving care for patients who previously would have had to travel to access this type of treatment.”
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Improving access to a wide range of treatments
Rapid access to care is critical for conditions like a heart attack, where every second counts. Fortunately, our expert heart care team can use the new labs to perform emergency treatments to clear blocked arteries and restore blood flow to the heart. The flexible design of the labs caters to patients with complex conditions who may need multiple procedures.
Two of the new facilities are coronary labs, designed for procedures related to blocked arteries such as heart attack and angina treatment. Two of the facilities are electrophysiology labs, designed for diagnosing and treating abnormal heart rhythms, including conditions like atrial fibrillation and other arrhythmias. The fifth facility is a hybrid lab, which can be flexed based on need.
Dedicated patient spaces prioritize comfort
All of the new labs are set up for easy coordination and collaboration between teams. Specialized nurses and support staff help physicians tailor pre- and post-surgery care to meet the unique needs of each heart patient.
“We’re talking about an entirely new procedural wing,” said Dilusha William, MD, an M Health Fairview cardiologist who specializes in electrophysiology. “There are not only the five new laboratories, but also preparation and recovery areas for patients coming in for treatment. Our goal is to perform everything from the most straightforward to the most complex procedures in these suites.”
“The rooms for the patients and their families to be prepared for the procedures and recover from the procedures are brand new and right next to the catheter labs,” said Thomas Johnson, MD, an M Health Fairview noninvasive cardiologist who works with patients to diagnosis their concerns and find the appropriate treatment. “All the rooms are private; it’s a very respectful design that prioritizes patient comfort.”
M Health Fairview Heart Care continues to build on decades of innovative clinical care. Learn more.
Rising to meet complex conditions
The larger space will boost collaboration between interventional cardiology and other specialties, including anesthesia and cardiac surgery. The hybrid lab will be able to accommodate surgery, and the entire facility is closely integrated with the existing operating rooms at St. John’s.
“We’re seeing more patients with complex, often overlapping heart problems as they age,” said Stephen Huddleston, MD, PhD, M Health Fairview cardiothoracic surgeon. “These more advanced conditions require even greater collaboration between cardiologists and cardiac surgeons. Our new facility allows patients to have nonsurgical and surgical procedures all in the same room.”
Diagnostic imaging is also often done through a catheter. State-of-the-art technology in our new cardiac catheterization labs will provide our surgeons with detailed information to guide them during surgery.
“We can treat the full spectrum of cardiac conditions with this new facility,” said Ahmed. “Our hope is that if a patient has any heart-related issue, they can come to St. John’s and there’s a high likelihood that with these new facilities, they won’t need to go anywhere else.”
