A rendering of the upcoming Cath Lab at Kosciusko Community Hospital. Image provided by Kosciusko Community Hospital.

WARSAW — Kosciusko Community Hospital, part of Lutheran Health Network, is expanding regional cardiology care and is adding a cardiac catheterization laboratory in Warsaw.

Scheduled to open this summer, the system aids in the diagnosis and treatment of heart and vascular conditions. The investment in this new technology is $3.6 million, said a news release from KCH.

Lutheran Health Physicians’ cardiologists will perform minimally invasive procedures with the new system to treat coronary artery disease. The benefits of catheter-based procedures to patients can include shorter hospital stays, reduced recovery time without the pain of a large incision, and less visible scarring. These procedures can be performed on both the heart and blood vessels. Heart disease is one of our nation’s most common health problems—the leading cause of death for Americans age 35 and older. Based upon studies, there are approximately 900 heart catheterization procedure needs a year within the combined population served by Kosciusko Community Hospital.

“The Lutheran cardiologists and cardiology team are very experienced and pleased to work with KCH to help bring advanced cardiology testing and procedures to the area,” said Stephen Reed,  MD, Lutheran Health Physicians cardiologist and site leader of the KCH Cath Lab project. “The Cath Lab system selected for KCH is an advanced technology that will produce high-quality imaging at low X-ray dose levels,” Reed said.

Patients and clinicians can benefit from the speed, low-dose levels, and outstanding image quality of the new X-ray system. Physicians can more quickly complete a variety of heart testing and treatment procedures, which means recovery happens sooner.  Additionally, current procedural techniques enable heart catheterization to be performed using arteries located in the arm rather than those in the groin area for certain patients.

The addition of this advanced technology also enables KCH to expand interventional radiology procedure capabilities, including vascular studies, pain procedures, filter/stent/port placements, embolization procedures and various other imaging-guided procedures.

“We are grateful for the support that Lutheran Health Network has provided in bringing the latest Cardiac Cath Lab capabilities to Kosciusko County. This service is the only one within a 20-mile radius of Warsaw and can help save lives by reducing the time necessary to transport patients for procedures,” said Jae Dale, CEO, Kosciusko Community Hospital.