WCH Cath Lab: Big-City Technology with a Small-Town Flavor
By Lisa Amstutz
February 1, 2012
403
WCH Marketplace--Cath Lab: Main article
As Marketing Assistant at Wooster Community Hospital, Gerri Cremer knows the hospitals ins and outs. But she gained a new appreciation for her workplace when she experienced it from the other side, as a patient undergoing a heart catheterization. I received excellent, professional care, just like every other patient receives. Im really proud of our hospital, she said.
My Mom had a heart cath done years ago, and I remember it as being a scary experience at the time. But when I had mine done, it was less painful or scary than going to the dentist, Cremer said. All I remember is going in and coming outwhatever medication they give to help with pain also helps you forget the experience.
Heart caths are performed in the hospitals Cath Lab, which celebrated its tenth anniversary in July. The lab has grown to a stage where our cardiologists are doing a majority of procedures here, with an excellent safety record, said Dr. Cyril Ofori, Cath Lab Director. It serves our patients well, and we are looking forward to doing more in the future.
Heart caths are just one of the many services offered at the Cath Lab. We are a combination cardiac and peripheral lab, said Darryl Manley, who has been the Cath Lab Manager for the past 11 years and oversees its day-to-day operations.
On the cardiac side, the Cath Lab performs diagnostic heart caths like Cremers, often as a follow-up to an abnormal stress test result. Another procedure, known as a cardioversion, uses an electric current to bring the heart back into normal rhythm.
Cardiologists at WCH also do pacemaker and defibrillator insertions and battery changes. Doctors Ofori, Moodispaw and Nicolozakes perform the majority of cardiac procedures at the Cath Lab, while Dr. Daoud, section director of electrophysiology and professor of clinical medicine at the OSU Medical Center, also comes in at least once a month to do defibrillation procedures. Its nice to have his expertise up here, said Manley.
The peripheral side of the Cath Lab focuses on other, non-cardiac blood vessels. We check for blockages in those blood vessels and can fix them here at the hospital, unlike the arteries in the heart, said Manley. Under current Ohio laws, we cant do cardiac stents here because you have to have an open heart team available.
Patients with peripheral blood flow problems often experience pain or cramping in the calves, numbness, non-healing wounds and difficulty walking even short distances without pain.
Several methods are used to repair peripheral blood vessels in the Cath Lab. During an angioplasty, a balloon is used to open up the blood vessel, and a stent or wire mesh may be inserted to prevent it from shutting down. In an atherectomy, plaque is cut out of the blood vessel and removed. Removing the plaque increases blood flow to the legs, decreases pain and allows the patient to walk better, Manley said. Patients tell us they just cant believe the difference.
Another peripheral procedure offered at the WCH Cath Lab is IVC filter installation. An IVC filter looks like an upside-down umbrella and is inserted into the vena cava to trap blood clots.
IVC filters are now easily removable, Manley said. Were putting them in patients who are prone to clotting in preparation for another surgery such as a knee replacement. Once theyve recovered from their surgery and the danger of clotting has passed, we can take the filter back out.
Dr. Cebul, who does the majority of peripheral procedures at the Cath Lab, performs AAA, or abdominal aortic aneurysm repairs, as well. The old way was to cut stem to stern, which involved a lot of clamping and a week in the hospital, Manley said. Now, we can go in through the groin with just tiny incisions, and fix the problem that way. The patient will spend the night and most go home the next day.
Altogether, WCHs Cath Lab performs anywhere from 400-450 heart catheterizations per year and close to 200 peripheral procedures. In addition, they do about 150 pacemakers, defibrillators and cardioversions.
The biggest advantage of having these procedures done at WCH, Manley noted, is the convenience factor for both patients and their families. We also have the whole warm and fuzzy, small community hospital feel, he added. Just because a hospital is bigger doesnt mean youll get better carein fact, I think the opposite is true in some cases. Weve got a great team here!
For more information about Wooster Community Hospitals Cath Lab, visit www.woosterhospital.org or call 330-263-8100.