New cardiac imaging equipment saving lives at Red Deer Regional Hospital
A $500,000 piece of equipment at Red Deer Regional Hospital is improving the standard of care for cardiac patients, but what overall impact is it having?
Following an anonymous donation of $750,000 in 2015 earmarked for cardiac care, the hospital purchased a Transesophageal Echocardiography (TEE) machine last spring. It was used for the first time in September and is utilized about a dozen times each month.
Kelly Lehmann, Director of Cardiac Sciences for the Central Zone of AHS says the machine is saving lives.
“With TEE, it takes a look at the heart in a way it’s not able to be looked at normally. The nice thing is it’s minimally invasive, so a probe goes down the esophagus and it sits right behind the heart, takes pictures of the valves, looks for blood clots, valve and aorta abnormalities,” says Lehmann. “It helps get patients out of the hospital sooner. It’s shortening hospital stays, and people don’t have to travel to get it done.”