YRMC’s New Cardiac Cath Lab: A First for the Western United States

by Community Outreach and Philanthropy, (928) 771-5686

(YAVAPAI - Nov. 19, 2019) – A third Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory – featuring technology available in only a few hospitals nationwide – has opened at the James Family Heart Center at
Yavapai Regional Medical Center (YRMC) West in Prescott.

“Our comprehensive Heart Program offers – in addition to a robust surgical program – a wide range of highly advanced catheter-based therapies in the cardiovascular arena,” said Soundos Moualla, MD, FACC, FSCAI, Medical Director, Structural Heart Program, James Family Heart Center at YRMC. “The innovative technology and clinical expertise allow us to deliver highly advanced structural, coronary, peripheral and electrophysiological procedures to our community. The new Cardiac Cath Lab enhances our standing in these areas of excellence.”

In fact, the new Cardiac Cath Lab incorporates technology so advanced that it is the first of its kind in the western United States. It joins two other advanced YRMC Cardiac Cath Labs, and the hybrid OR, all of which are equipped with sophisticated diagnostic imaging equipment.

In the Heart Center’s Cardiac Cath Labs, interventional cardiologists – specialists who perform non-surgical heart procedures – tap technology to visualize the heart’s arteries, vessels and chambers. After diagnosing a heart disorder, YRMC’s interventional cardiologists repair patients’ hearts using the advanced imaging technology.

“The heart services provided at YRMC are typically only available in much larger markets across the country,” said George Rizk, MD, Medical Director, Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory, James Family Heart Center at YRMC. “We are very fortunate to have this technology and talent available in the Quad Cities area.”

The following features are part of the world-first technology in YRMC’s new Cardiac Cath Lab:

• Azurion Angiography Operating System – The Heart Center’s Azurion operating system takes both x-ray and ultrasound images. As the patient lies on the table, a rotating arm gathers the images into a single, three-dimensional view of the heart. Approximately 100 of these Philips operating systems are currently available in the United States.
• The EchoNavigator – This technology gathers the Azurion’s three-dimensional images into a clear and detailed “road map” of the patient’s heart. It allows physicians to see real-time, three-dimensional images of the heart. At the same time, the technology gives interventional cardiologists a sharp view of the catheter or heart implant they are guiding during a procedure.

“YRMC’s Heart Center has invested in both the technology and the talent,” said Lauren Weedon, RN, MSN, Director of Cardiovascular Services at YRMC. “This allows our physicians, nurses and radiologic technologists to learn new, innovative procedures. Our team is constantly learning and striving to do their very best for our patients.”

Skilled teams of interventional cardiologists, nurses and radiologic technologists perform the following leading-edge procedures and more in YRMC’s Cardiac Cath Labs:

• Mitral Valve Repair with MitraClip
• Paravalvular Leak Closure (PVL)
• Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR)
• Transcatheter Mitral Valve Replacement (TMVR)
• WATCHMAN/Left Atrial Appendage Closure (LAAC)
• Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO) Closure

For more information about YRMC’s James Family Heart Center, visit YRMC HealthConnect (YRMCHealthConnect.org) or YRMC.org.

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