HospiNews

AIMS Radial Lounge Completes 500 Cath Lab Procedures

The radial lounge of the 1,300-bed Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Kochi, which was inaugurated in January this year, recently completed over 500 cath lab procedures.

The radial lounge is a cosy air conditioned room with a large LCD monitor TV and comfortable reclining chairs and sofa sets. The patients can walk into the room, have snacks and refreshments, read newspapers or go walking out of the hospital within four to six hours, after the procedure.

Said Dr Prem Nair, Medical Director, AIMS, "No cumbersome admission procedures, reduced stay in the hospital, decreased direct and indirect cost to the patients, less procedures site complication are some of the benefits. Patients need to just walk into the lounge, have a radial angiogram, enjoy the comfort of air conditioned room and thereafter be discharged." This has become possible because of the expertise in doing a highly skilled procedure from the hand artery called radica by cardiologists at AIMS. Till recently, coronary angiogram was done by passing catheters from the artery in the leg called the femoral artery. "The procedure is cumbersome, with patients having to be admitted the day before the procedure and be discharged the day after. Moreover, after angiogram the patients were immobile and had to be monitored on the bed for more than 8-12 hours," he added.

According to Dr Sanjeev Singh, Senior Administrator, AIMS, "Our cardiologists have collectively performed more 600 radial access and angioplasties and more than 3,500 radial access diagnostic procedures. These procedures are extremely patient friendly and comforting because the patients can have their family members by their side after the angiogram."

EH News Bureau