TAMPA, Fla. — AdventHealth Tampa unveiled new technology for procedures in its catheterization lab.
At AdventHealth Pepin Heart Institute, a patient may be brought into the catheterization lab for numerous reasons, including diagnostic testing or after they suffer a heart attack.
"Sometimes it's a valve problem, sometimes it's a pump function problem, and sometimes it's an emergency for a heart attack or complications of a heart attack," said Dr. Charles Lambert, the AdventHealth Medical Director for Cardiovascular Institute.
A new device known as GE Allia provides the clearest and most precise imaging of blood vessels. The $2 million investment will improve vascular care.
"This particular device is outfitted so it can really image any vascular structure in your body, not just your heart, so you can see from the top of your head to your toes on this device and really from any imaging angle or perspective," said Dr. Lambert.
Typically, a cath lab has four to six computer systems to monitor procedures, but now it is streamlined to just one large screen.
“We now have the clearest and most precise imaging of blood vessels possible, which means even better results for our patients,” said Dr. Diego Ayo, vascular surgeon at AdventHealth Tampa. “This new catheterization lab is the most innovative to date and shows our commitment to staying on the forefront of medical advancements and expertise.”
According to GE, the technology is the first of its kind in Tampa for heart and vascular procedures, one of only three locations in the state of Florida and one of only 15 in the United States.
"Just being able to image from top to bottom even the tiny, little, small vessels. It has much higher resolution than most standard imaging laboratories," said Dr. Lambert.
"The patient can be stationary. You don't have to move them around. You don't have to scoot them around the table. They can be absolutely still and we can pretty much see anything."
