NEWS
RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Bobbie Boyd, Director of Public Relations
& Community Outreach
Advanced Cardiac Specialists
Cell Phone: (602) 570-7069 E-mail:
bobbie.boyd@acs-im.com
APACHE JUNCTION FIRE DEPARTMENT VISITS LOCAL CARDIAC
CATHETERIZATION LABORATORY
Heart Testing Now Available in Our Own Neighborhood
Apache Junction, Arizona (June 12,
2003) - Members of the “A” Shift of the local Apache Junction Fire Department
visited Advanced Cardiac Specialists’ Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory today
while Robert M. Siegel, M.D., walked them through a procedure he performed on
patient, Wayne Smith. This program is
first in a series designed to provide our local fire department with a better
understanding of the diagnostic and treatment facilities now available in our
community. This partnership will result
in enhanced medical emergency services for our Apache Junction residents.
Historically,
cardiac catheterization laboratories have been housed on hospital campuses. Free standing labs, such as the one now in
Apache Junction, are emerging throughout the country. They are considered to be safe and viable, if they are staffed by
cardiologists with significant experience and volume to have the necessary high
standards of care and outcomes.
(Advanced Cardiac Specialists’ cardiology program has been repeatedly
ranked among the leaders in the country in terms of benchmarks of care. In addition, based on statistically
significant outcomes, the practice regularly contributes to global
recommendations concerning cardiovascular treatment strategies through
presentations at the American Heart Association, the European Society of
Cardiology, and the Society for Cardiac Angiography and Interventions to name a
few.)
Cardiac catheterization labs are used
for diagnostic testing as well as for treatment of blocked arteries. By having a local facility, at this point
for diagnostic testing; the Advanced Cardiac Specialists’ (ACS) team of
physicians and staff can see what they are dealing with in terms of patient
medical concerns. It might be minimal
cardiovascular disease requiring no intervention; e.g., something that can
often be treated with diet, exercise and/or medications. The patient therefore entirely avoids a trip
to a medical facility/hospital in another city all together.
If more extensive cardiovascular
disease is diagnosed, it might require interventional procedures such as
angioplasty, balloons or stents. With
this knowledge, the ACS team can then sit down with the patients and their
families and talk about treatment options in a comfortable office setting. Their healthcare can be managed on their
terms. And advance planning can better
help with the logistics involved with having an interventional procedure. For instance, a hospital bed can be
reserved. Patients can make
arrangements for a husband who does not drive at night; or, for someone to take
care of their pets. These are all
worries that can be avoided because they can be dealt with, and planned for,
together through the convenience of having a cath lab in the neighborhood.
The diagnostic process performed in the
cath lab is called an angiogram. The
cardiologist is able to view the blood flowing through the heart and to
determine where there is any blockage due to plaque build up along the walls of
the arteries.
The interventional process is coronary angioplasty (PTCA), a non-surgical procedure in which the blockage in the coronary vessel is mechanically disrupted (usually with a balloon inflation) and the flow re-established in the vessel or graft. This procedure usually requires shorter hospitalization and recovery time, and usually costs less than open heart surgery.
Angioplasty involves the use of catheters. A thin guide wire is placed into a peripheral artery, usually from the groin. This is carefully guided to the point of narrowing in the coronary artery. A balloon-tipped catheter is then placed over the wire; the wire guides the balloon to the narrow part of the artery. The balloon is then inflated and deflated several times. Occasionally the doctor will use balloons with special qualities, or newer devices (i.e., laser, stent, atherectomy, rotablator) to ensure optimal results. Finally, once good blood flow is established, the balloon and guide wire are removed, and a small peripheral sheath is left in place (usually in the groin area) for the next few hours. The patient is awake during the procedure, which lasts approximately two hours.