Cedar Park Regional Medical Center’s new Heart & Vascular Center includes a lab that is dedicated to cardiac imaging. The lab has a new X-ray machine that can take images of a patient’s heart from multiple angles. The machine allows physicians to make better diagnoses, said Angela Wagner, director of the cardiac catheterization lab.[/caption]
Patients with heart conditions have a new option for local lab work and treatment after Cedar Park Regional Medical Center held a May 14 ribbon cutting for its new Heart & Vascular Center.
The 6,000-square-foot hospital expansion includes a dedicated cardiac catheterization laboratory as well as newer equipment for X-rays and analyzing images of a patient’s heart condition, said Angie Wagner, Heart & Vascular center director.
In 2013 the hospital began planning for the expansion to build on its existing cardiovascular services, she said.
Wagner said the lab’s $1 million X-ray machine allows hospital cardiologists to take better X-rays of a patient’s heart, resulting in higher-definition images.
“Your heart is a three-dimensional object and if you just take a flat straight image, you’re only looking at two dimensions,” Wagner said. “Being able to rotate your X-ray equipment, you’re able to look at your heart in a three-dimensional aspect.”
Cardiovascular technician Terry Wells said the new machine uses fewer X-ray particles, making it safer than other X-ray machines.
The higher-resolution images and a larger monitor allows doctors to diagnose which parts of the heart have been affected by disease or a heart attack, Wagner said.
“It’s like going from a regular TV to a high-definition TV,” she said.
The new center can also treat two heart patients at a time, which eliminates the risk of stopping one patient’s treatment to treat a new patient with a life-threatening condition, Wagner said.
The new expansion also provides the hospital with more space to serve multiple functions, such as cardiac rehabilitation and preparing patients before or after their heart treatments. The space can also be used to perform vascular procedures, putting drains in kidneys or making dialysis ports, she said.
Dr. Geoffrey Crimmins, who specializes in interventional cardiology and peripheral vascular disease, said the vascular center may see 15 to 30 patients a week.
“A lot of people come [to CPRMC] from Liberty Hill, Lago [Vista], Jonestown—they don’t feel like driving all the way to Georgetown,” he said. “Rehab is intensive. You have to go every day for five or six weeks.”
Wagner said CPRMC is moving its cardiac rehabilitation program to the new center. The program will begin accepting new patients starting Aug. 4.
Cedar Park Regional Medical Center’s new Heart & Vascular Center includes a lab that is dedicated to cardiac imaging. The lab has a new X-ray machine that can take images of a patient’s heart from multiple angles. The machine allows physicians to make better diagnoses, said Angela Wagner, director of the cardiac catheterization lab.[/caption]
Patients with heart conditions have a new option for local lab work and treatment after Cedar Park Regional Medical Center held a May 14 ribbon cutting for its new Heart & Vascular Center.
The 6,000-square-foot hospital expansion includes a dedicated cardiac catheterization laboratory as well as newer equipment for X-rays and analyzing images of a patient’s heart condition, said Angie Wagner, Heart & Vascular center director.
In 2013 the hospital began planning for the expansion to build on its existing cardiovascular services, she said.
Wagner said the lab’s $1 million X-ray machine allows hospital cardiologists to take better X-rays of a patient’s heart, resulting in higher-definition images.
“Your heart is a three-dimensional object and if you just take a flat straight image, you’re only looking at two dimensions,” Wagner said. “Being able to rotate your X-ray equipment, you’re able to look at your heart in a three-dimensional aspect.”
Cardiovascular technician Terry Wells said the new machine uses fewer X-ray particles, making it safer than other X-ray machines.
The higher-resolution images and a larger monitor allows doctors to diagnose which parts of the heart have been affected by disease or a heart attack, Wagner said.
“It’s like going from a regular TV to a high-definition TV,” she said.
The new center can also treat two heart patients at a time, which eliminates the risk of stopping one patient’s treatment to treat a new patient with a life-threatening condition, Wagner said.
The new expansion also provides the hospital with more space to serve multiple functions, such as cardiac rehabilitation and preparing patients before or after their heart treatments. The space can also be used to perform vascular procedures, putting drains in kidneys or making dialysis ports, she said.
Dr. Geoffrey Crimmins, who specializes in interventional cardiology and peripheral vascular disease, said the vascular center may see 15 to 30 patients a week.
“A lot of people come [to CPRMC] from Liberty Hill, Lago [Vista], Jonestown—they don’t feel like driving all the way to Georgetown,” he said. “Rehab is intensive. You have to go every day for five or six weeks.”
Wagner said CPRMC is moving its cardiac rehabilitation program to the new center. The program will begin accepting new patients starting Aug. 4.
