The 980 square foot room is another piece in the expansion of services provided by the hospital’s Center for Comprehensive Cardiovascular Care (C4) since its formation in 2012. Since then, cardiac patient admits are 31 percent and surgery volume has more than doubled through the addition of new faculty and new technology.

“The hybrid room is a perfect example of what the C4 is all about,” says Richard Lee, MD, SLUCare cardiac surgeon and co-director of the C4. “It’s a fusion of cardiology and cardiac surgery to give patients the best option for their specific case.”

For example, the hybrid lab is equipped with the control room, lighting, sterile field, anesthesia capabilities and advanced CT imaging to support percutaneous procedures such as the MitraClip procedure to repair mitral valve regurgitation without surgery.

In addition, SLUCare interventional cardiologists and cardiac surgeons at SLU Hospital will now be able to partner on providing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) for patients. The innovative procedure replaces a patient’s valve without opening the chest like traditional surgery. This method, which is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for patients who are otherwise inoperable, allows cardiologists to insert the new valve through the groin or chest and place it into the body without surgery.

“Every patient’s case in unique and this lab allows us to do things for them we haven’t been able to do previously,” says Michael Lim, MD, SLUCare cardiologist and C4 co-director.

Other procedures to be performed in the new hybrid catheterization lab include laser lead removal of defibrillator leads and some ablation procedures for atrial fibrillation.

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About Saint Louis University Hospital

Saint Louis University Hospital is a 356-licensed bed quaternary/tertiary referral center located in the heart of the city of St. Louis. Approximately 75 percent of patients are drawn from a 150-mile radius. Through affiliation as the teaching hospital for Saint Louis University, the hospital provides patients and their families with an environment of medical innovation. Working in this endeavor are the hospital’s medical staff partners, SLUCare, the physicians of Saint Louis University. The hospital admits more than 17,000 patients annually and is a Level I Trauma Center that treats more than 2,000 major trauma cases a year. For more information, please visit www.sluhospital.com.

Media Contact:
Jason Merrill
314-577-8152
Jason.merrill@tenethealth.com