New Heart Lab At

Bridgeport Hospital

BRIDGEPORT — With General Electric Chairman Jack Welch and GE Medical Systems President Jeffrey Immelt on hand to cut the ribbon, Bridgeport Hospital recently opened a newly equipped $1.4 million cardiac catheterization suite for more precise diagnosis and treatment of coronary artery disease.

“Fully digital X-ray equipment developed by GE Medical Systems and software created by GE’s Marquette Electronics subsidiary gives cardiologists the highest quality images available of blood vessels in the heart,” said Dr Stuart Zarich, the hospital’s chief of cardiology. “This state-of-the-art equipment is housed in a larger, brighter area designed for patient comfort and staff efficiency.”

The facility also strengthens the partnership between Bridgeport Hospital and GE for future collaboration.

In cardiac catheterization a wiry, hollow tube, or catheter, is guided to a patient’s heart through a blood vessel in the groin or wrist. By watching the movement of the catheter on a sophisticated X-ray monitor, cardiologists can detect blockage in coronary arteries. Angioplasty is a similar procedure that involves inflating a balloon at the tip of the catheter to push the blockage aside and restore normal blood flow in the heart.

Previously, Bridgeport Hospital cardiologists used conventional X-ray equipment to monitor catheterization procedures and recorded the procedures on film. The new digital technology allows procedures to be recorded directly onto a CD-ROM computer disk, making them easier to view from cardiologists’ offices and eliminating worry about wear and tear on the film.

The hospital’s innovative “swing” lab has also been upgraded with the new digital technology. The swing lab is so named because its X-ray equipment is on a movable arm that swings from one side of the lab to the other, reducing time between procedures.

“The new equipment helps Bridgeport Hospital to solidify its position as a leader in technological advances and digital technology in the cardiac arena,” Dr Zarich said.

The Heart Center at Bridgeport Hospital offers a comprehensive range of cardiovascular services, including one of only seven open-heart surgery programs in Connecticut, angioplasty, electrophysiology (the diagnosis and treatment of electrical problems in the heart), and cardiac rehabilitation and wellness programs.

Bridgeport Hospital is a private, not-for-profit community hospital, member of Yale New Haven Health and a major affiliate of Yale University School of Medicine.