DOWNEY, Calif., March 13, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Downey Regional Medical Center (DRMC) now offers the most modern world-class technology for treating cardiac disease and other vascular blockages with the opening of its brand new Cardiac Catherization Lab. Patients at DRMC will now receive such world-class care close to home, without the need to travel to a university center.
"With the installation of the new catherization lab that features the latest in software imaging of the heart, diagnostic technology, and interventional capability, our highly trained interventional cardiologists and technical staff can rapidly identify and treat heart disease in acutely ill patients. The $2 million renovation and new equipment purchase replaces usable but dated technology," stated Kenneth Strople, President and CEO of Downey Regional Medical Center.
"Heart disease is the number one killer of Americans," said Kaushal Tamboli, M.D., President of the DRMC Medical Staff and an interventional cardiologist. "The sophisticated technology of our new Cath Lab gives us optimal advancements in helping our patients fight heart disease, recover from heart attacks, and improve the quality of their lives. Cardiac Catherization is our primary tool in the evaluation of coronary anatomy and heart function. During a catherization procedure, a thin catheter is inserted and carefully guided into the blood vessels of the heart, creating a digital fluoroscopic video of the progress of the procedure. The catheter also takes measurements of pressures and blood content in and around the heart, providing a complete picture of the patient's coronary function that allows us to diagnose and treat disease. The cathertization process also allows us to insert stents and other small devices to open blocked arteries and restore blood flow to the heart. The new equipment is versatile, allowing for diagnostic and interventional caths, stenting, angioplasty, implantation of pacemakers and defibrillators and all forms of heart disease."
The new machinery is also capable of allowing physicians at DRMC to examine and treat blockages in peripheral arteries, which provides an even greater service to the community which needs these medical interventions.
DRMC has a longstanding commitment to the constant improvement of services and technology at the hospital. Currently DRMC is performing over 600 heart catherization diagnostic tests annually, and several hundred additional interventional procedures, including angioplasty and stent placements. The hospital will continue to perform emergency and elective coronary artery by-pass surgery when indicated in its state-of-the art coronary surgical center, and specializes in the implantation of pacemakers and defibrillators in patients whose coronary electrical system needs assistance.
Downey Regional Medical Center
Opened in 1920, Downey Regional Medical Center (DRMC) is today a 199-bed, not-for-profit regional hospital and medical center that delivers healthcare services to Southeast Los Angeles County and portions of Orange County. The hospital features sophisticated facilities and equipment complemented by highly trained medical, nursing, technical and support staff. DRMC has more than 1,100 employees and provides care to more than 120,000 patients each and every year. For more information on the hospital, please visit www.DRMCI.org