Harford County residents have the latest technology in diagnosing heart disease with the opening of the R. Walter and Beatrice Ward Cardiac Catheterization Lab at Upper Chesapeake Medical Center. The state-of-the-art Cardiac Catheterization Lab developed in partnership with the St. Joseph Medical Center’s Heart Institute, provides diagnostic cardiac testing.

“Patients in Harford County will have the benefit of a large Cardiac Catheterization Lab equipped with the most up to date, all digital diagnostic catheterization technology available today,” says Upper Chesapeake Health Cardiologist Michael Drossner, M.D., who has performed heart catheterizations for the past 20 years. Dr. Drossner, along with UCH Cardiologist V.J. Nair, M.D., will head the highly trained cardiac catheterization team including registered nurses and radiologic technologists, all who are highly skilled and competent in the field.

Painless Procedure
A cardiac cath procedure usually takes about 30 minutes and is generally painless. The purpose of the procedure is to diagnose patients who have various forms of heart disease.

The cath lab equipment allows the cardiologist to see instant moving images of the heart. These images show the pumping function of the heart and can identify blockages in the arteries that feed the heart muscle. During the cardiac catheterization, a flexible, narrow plastic tube called a catheter is guided into an artery in the upper leg (groin), and is gently guided to the heart. A contrast media or x-ray dye is injected into the catheter to reveal the blood flow through the patient’s heart arteries. A series of live pictures or moving X-rays are taken to see how effectively the heart is functioning as a pump and if the blood is flowing correctly.

Making the Diagnosis
After the diagnostic test is complete, the cardiologist reviews all the images to determine if there is narrowing or blockages requiring further treatment. The cardiology team then determines if the problem can be treated with medicine, a therapeutic interventional procedure, or bypass surgery. It is expected that within a year, the new Cath Lab will have completed the criteria to perform additional interventional cardiac procedures.

Patient Referral
Patients are referred by their physician for cath procedures or come through our Emergency Department to be seen in the Cardiac Catheterization Lab. A service of the Upper Chesapeake Health Cardiovascular Institute, the Cardiac Catheterization Lab follows protocols developed in conjunction with the renowned St. Joseph Heart Institute. For more information please call Diane Durm, Cardiac Catheterization Lab Manager, at 443-643-3680.