Cath lab
Kasturba Hospital has started offering cath lab services to patients with heart diseases. The new angiography suite is equipped with sophisticated technology that produces high resolution images with the lowest dose of radiation possible.
On 16 December 2014, four patients with heart diseases underwent cardiac catheterization in the newly built cath lab in the cardiology division of the hospital.
The hospital has recently built a ten-bed intensive coronary care unit (ICCU) that offers affordable, appropriate and accessible cardiac healthcare to people with limited resources. The hospital has also acquired and installed a cath lab in the unit. The unit and the lab was fully funded by a Mumbai based philanthropist octogenarian couple in memory of their daughter and son-in-law who died in the 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attack. The couple wished not be acknowledged for their contribution.
Every year, the hospital admits close to 2000 patients with a variety of heart disorders in its medical intensive care unit. A large number of patients with diabetes, high blood pressure and heart related problems also seek outpatient healthcare in the hospital.
Many of these patients need cardiac catheterization, a test to detect extent and severity of blockage in the arteries that feed the heart. These blockages, if timely detected, and rationally managed, can reduce complications, ward off future heart attacks and reduce premature deaths. The test, and subsequent treatment, is expensive and very few public hospitals in Vidarbha offer these facilities at a price that rural patients can afford.
“For decades, MGIMS has been treating rural and poor patients with passion and compassion. This cath lab will further improve the diagnosis and management of patients with heart diseases. We are committed to reduce the cost of healthcare and shall ensure that our patients are treated purely on scientific grounds,” said Dr Ulhās Jajoo, the head of the department of Medicine at MGIMS.
“The generosity of our donor, management of Kasturba Hospital and many others has helped ensure that the health care team at Kasturba Hospital has access to the most advanced diagnostic imaging technology available,” Dr SP Kalantri, Medical Superintendent, Kasturba Hospital said. “Their commitment to transforming health in our region is truly inspiring, and we are so very thankful for their support.”