New Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory Opens

Patients in Mecklenburg County, Va. once had to use either a local mobile lab or travel 40 minutes or more to hospitals in Petersburg, Richmond or North Carolina for cardiac catheterizations.

Now, these critical procedures are close at hand with the opening of a new cardiac catheterization laboratory at VCU Health Community Memorial Hospital (CMH) in South Hill, Va.

“With the new lab, we’re able to provide the most advanced cardiac care in the region,” said Ursula Butts, vice president of Patient Care Services.

The state-of-the-art medical suite opened November 2017, the same month as the new CMH opened, and offers a full range of diagnostic services for the heart and blood vessels. The services include cardiovascular ultrasound, stress testing, Holter monitoring and diagnostic cardiac catheterizations. The staff includes board-certified cardiologists, registered sonographers and diagnostic nurses. Catheterization procedures are performed using either a patient’s femoral artery or radial artery in the forearm.

CMH’s Cardiovascular Department is accredited by the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission in vascular, echo and nuclear testing and undertakes nearly 5,000 cardiovascular studies each year.

“Our doctors and team are committed to providing the highest quality care in a personalized environment,” said Butts.

Visit vcuhealth.org/community-memorial-hospital for more information.

ABOVE: L TO R: DR. NIMESH PATEL PERFORMS A DIAGNOSTIC RADIAL ARTERY CATHETERIZATION PROCEDURE INSIDE THE NEW LAB. /  THE STATE-OF-THE-ART DIAGNOSTIC CARDIAC CATHETERIZATION LAB INSIDE THE NEW VCU HEALTH COMMUNITY MEMORIAL HOSPITAL IN SOUTH HILL, VA.