In a coincidence of timing, Northeast Georgia Medical Center opened its fourth cardiac catheterization lab earlier this month, just as the hospital was celebrating the fourth anniversary of the Ronnie Green Heart Center.
Those numbers will soar even higher with the addition of the new cath lab. Each time another cath room has been built, it's been equipped with technology previously not available in Northeast Georgia.
For example, while the third cath lab has magnets to help doctors guide wires through arteries, the fourth lab features a "bi-plane" imaging system.
"Bi-plane technology is better for patients with renal (kidney) issues, who can't tolerate as much contrast," said Tom Edwards, director of cardiac services at the medical center.
Edwards said the original cath labs will continue to be adequate for most procedures. "The bi-plane lab won't be needed every day," he said, "but it adds another tool to our arsenal."
"When the program started, there were about 10 cardiologists on the hospital staff, and no interventionalists (doctors who perform angioplasties)," he said. "Now there are 25 cardiologists, including six interventionalists and three who can do electrophysiology (procedures to correct abnormal heart rhythms)."
Open-heart surgeries have leveled off in some parts of the country but are still increasing in Georgia, according to Daniel Winston, chief of the heart surgery program at Ronnie Green.
Hospitals with a high volume of a particular procedure tend to have better outcomes than those where the staff is less experienced. Winston said the Ronnie Green center has benefited from positive word-of-mouth.
"We're getting more patients from Dawsonville, Cumming, Blairsville, Toccoa, and even some from Gwinnett who don't want to drive down to Atlanta anymore," he said.
Most heart surgeries are scheduled as elective procedures. But if a patient in an outlying county is actively suffering a heart attack, it's critical to get them to the Ronnie Green center as soon as possible.
"New national guidelines call for getting blocked (blood) vessels open within 90 minutes of arrival at the hospital," Edwards said. "When the patient is taken to a smaller hospital first, we lose 30 minutes while they're in transit here, so we want our team ready when the patient arrives."
One disturbing trend doctors have noted is an increase in the number of young adults with cardiovascular disease. Due to smoking, poor diet and lack of physical activity, it's not so unusual anymore to see someone in their 30s suffer a heart attack.
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