Netcare Blaauwberg Hospital has a new “state-of-the-art” cardiac catheterisation and vascular laboratory for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases.
The rapidly growing community on the Cape West Coast and an increased demand for the treatment of heart and blood vessel diseases have been the major drive behind the development of this newest addition to the hospital’s cardiovascular centre, according to Dirk Truter, General Manager of the hospital.
Truter explained that sophisticated diagnostic imaging equipment is used by cardiovascular specialists in the cardiac catheterisation laboratory, to visualise the interior of the arteries in order to precisely determine the extent of blockages and disease in these vessels. They then use these technologies to conduct life-saving, minimally invasive procedures for cardiovascular conditions, which previously could only be treated through open-heart surgery.
“The new cardiac catheterisation laboratory which was opened earlier this year forms part of Netcare Blaauwberg Hospital’s cardiovascular centre, which offers a full range of 24-hour cardiovascular services to the community,” said Truter. “Other facilities in the centre include a coronary care unit and intensive care unit. The specialists practising at the hospital can undertake coronary angiograms, angioplasties and stent insertions, and perform coronary bypass or valve surgeries.”
Interventional cardiologist Dr Jan-Peter Smedema, who practises at the hospital, welcomed the development of the cardiac catheterisation laboratory, saying that not only does it enable cardiovascular disease to be more accurately assessed and diagnosed, but also for highly intricate catheter-based procedures to be performed. Netcare Blaauwberg Hospital is a 116-bed hospital situated on the West Coast Road (R27) in Sunningdale, Blaauwberg, near Cape Town.
