Leaders from Methodist Healthcare and Methodist Hospital Stone Oak gathered recently to celebrate the expansion of a space dedicated to cardiovascular services.
The backgroundOfficials at Methodist Hospital said they oversaw a project that resulted in increased capacity within their electrophysiology lab, providing more space and shorter wait times to patients receiving advanced and complex cardiovascular care.
According to a May 14 news release, the electrophysiology lab features procedures that consist of a series of tests physicians use to evaluate the electrical activity of the heart.
Hospital officials said this series of tests is often the first step in diagnosing an abnormal heartbeat, also called arrhythmia, or determining if there is another reason for a change in the heart’s rhythm.
Electrophysiology procedures vary in type depending on the suspected arrhythmia, and are typically safe and relatively painless for those coping with cardiovascular disease, the release stated.
Hospital officials also said the expansion allows them to perform pulsed field ablation, or PFA, procedures, making Methodist Hospital Stone Oak the first Stone Oak hospital to provide a safer, faster procedure to patients needing cardiovascular care.
PFA is a technology that targets and removes abnormal electrical pathways in the heart responsible for causing arrhythmias, the release stated.
What they’re saying
Dr. José Miguel Iturbe, medical director of cardiovascular services at Methodist Hospital | Stone Oak, said the expansion was key in enhancing critical cardiovascular care for the community.
“As cardiovascular disease in our community rises, expanding spaces dedicated to treating advanced and complex cardiac cases is crucial in enhancing our patient’s overall quality of life and expediting their return to normalcy,” Iturbe said in a statement.
