UAB Synopsis, Vol. 25, No. 20, September 11, 2006

UAB Heart and Vascular Center
After years of planning, the Southeast’s largest and most technologically advanced center for the diagnosis and nonsurgical treatment of heart and vascular diseases was dedicated at UAB on June 19. The 55,000 square foot, $40 million UAB Heart and Vascular Center occupies most of the North Pavilion’s sixth floor and will serve up to 80 patients a day.

The center is divided into 2 separate zones: one for minimally invasive, catheter-based procedures, and the other for patient preparation and recovery. Additional rooms are “shelled” to accommodate future expansion.

Division of Cardiovascular Disease Director Robert C. Bourge, MD, and Department of Radiology Chair Robert E. Koehler, MD, are codirectors. Scott Strech, BSN, MBA, is administrative director.

The Heart and Vascular Center brings together in one location internationally recognized experts in adult and pediatric diagnostic and interventional cardiology, cardiovascular electrophysiology, interventional radiology, neuroradiology, and neurosurgery.

“Combining in one location services previously dispersed throughout the medical center enables clinical and financial efficiencies,” Dr. Koehler says.

For example, 3 rooms are equipped interchangably to accommodate neuro-vascular and interventional radiology and cardiac procedures. Others are outfitted for both electrophysiology and pediatric cardiology procedures. Cross-training of some staff members is ongoing.

“Working together in one center will improve collaborative research opportunities as well as patient outcomes,” G. Neal Kay, MD, professor of medicine and cardiovascular electrophysiologist, says. “We also are moving from multiple systems to one state-of-the-art, standardized system that will improve our ability to collaborate across the spectrum of diseases we treat.”

Procedures performed in the center include coronary and carotid artery stenting, percutaneous correction of congenital heart defects, catheter ablation for complex arrhythmias and of intervascular tumors, implantation of pacemakers and cardiovascular defibrillators, percutaneous shunts to treat portal hypertension, and treatment of cerebral arterial-venous malformations.

“This center represents a new era in heart and vascular care for Alabamians and for residents of the southeastern United States,” Dr. Bourge says. “We now have one of the finest centers anywhere for minimally invasive treatment of diseases of the heart, aorta, peripheral vasculature, and abdomen.”

State of the Art

The Heart and Vascular Center is equipped throughout with Philips Medical Systems’ most advanced technologies, including adult and pediatric diagnostic and interventional catheterization equipment.

“With increased data processing capabilities, we can generate detailed 3-D fluoroscopic images, allowing us to visualize the heart and vasculature from an infinite variety of angles and therefore take on greater interventional challenges,” Dr. Koehler says. “With these new imaging technologies, we can measure the severity of arterial narrowing and the level of blood perfusion in a quantitative manner impossible with conventional fluoroscopy.”

“This technology enables minimally invasive, catheter-based treatment of neurovascular diseases that until recently required open surgery,” Dr. Bourge says. “Much of what we do actually saves patients from unnecessary procedures.”

Facility Design
“The center also is designed for the comfort of patients and families,” Strech says. “There is a single entrance to access all our services which decreases stress and improves patient satisfaction. We want the experience here to be as pleasant as possible.”

For a virtual tour of the Heart and Vascular Center, see www.uabhealth.org/hvc.

Heart & Vascular Center Highlights
• 13 procedural rooms, including 3 electrophysiology labs, 1 pediatric catheterization lab, 4 adult cardiac catheterization labs, 1 interventional neuroradiology lab, 4 vascular interventional labs
• State-of-the-art technology, including 3-dimensional angiography, 64-slice CT imaging, and flat panel imaging
• Electronic patient monitoring and documentation systems
• Patient tracking visible on large plasma screens at 4 nurses stations
• 22 private rooms for outpatients
• 26 stretcher bays
And to come . . .
• New inpatient magnetic resonance imaging area, adjacent to CT and ultrasound areas
• Patient education area