Improved cardiac care is coming to the region with a new catheterization lab at Windsor Regional Hospital.
At a news conference Friday morning, Minister of Health and Long-term Care Dr. Eric Hoskins announced funding to renovate and relocate the cath lab to the fifth floor of Windsor Regional Hospital’s Ouellette Campus.
The move means the catheterization lab will be able to operate two tables 24 hours a day. Construction of the 20,000 square foot lab is expected to begin in the fall of 2015.
“The relocation and expansion of Windsor Regional Hospital’sCatheterization Labwill ensure patients continue to receive access to the highest quality health care,” Hoskins said in a statement.
Cardiac catheterization is a diagnostic tool used to examine different areas of the heart, including valves and blood supply. It’s also used to test heart abnormalities in newborns.
“This announcement paves the way for a 24/7 angioplasty program with a vision to become a regional cardiac program and will result in our patients receiving their cardiac care at home where they belong,” Windsor regional President and CEO, David Musjy said in a statement.
As part of the renovation, the hospital’s day surgery program will be moved to the second floor of the Ouellette Campus.
The hospital says every year 500 local cardiac patients go to London or Detroit for surgery.
