South Texas Health System Edinburg Officially Launches New Cardiac Catheterization Lab, Bringing Expanded Cardiovascular Services to the Rio Grande Valley
There is no denying that the City of Edinburg officially has heart.
South Texas Health System Edinburg celebrated the grand opening of its brand new cardiac catheterization laboratory, ushering in much-needed, life-saving cardiovascular services on the north side of Hidalgo County.
During a ribbon-cutting ceremony held on Friday, June 23, STHS Edinburg officially debuted the $6 million cardiac catheterization lab, which will offer diagnostic cardiovascular services, as well as serve as a limb salvage program.
Cardiology at South Texas Health System Edinburg
Heart Disease by the Numbers
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in men and women in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with cardiovascular diseases causing one in three deaths per year.
Meanwhile, about 8-12 million people in the U.S. have peripheral vascular disease (PVD), or peripheral artery disease (PAD), which is a leading cause of non-traumatic amputations in the nation. The risk of developing PAD is higher among those with diabetes. Approximately one in every three people over the age of 50 with diabetes is likely to have PVD, according to the National Institutes of Health.
With a high prevalence of diabetes in the Rio Grande Valley, STHS Edinburg is committed to meeting the needs of the community by bringing these services closer to residents and their loved ones in Edinburg and its surrounding communities.
Latest Phase of Growth
The lab, housed in the space once occupied by the hospital’s emergency department, consists of two procedure rooms, each equipped with Philips Azurion Clarity IQ technology, as well as six pre- and post-op treatment bays.
Plans to bring cardiovascular services to STHS Edinburg began
more than four years ago, with this new addition representing the latest phase of growth for STHS Edinburg that included the new five-story, $100 million patient tower that opened in September 2022 and a recently expanded laboratory services department.
“The South Texas Health System Edinburg campus has been growing to meet the needs of the Edinburg community and the larger Rio Grande Valley,” said Lance Ames, CEO, STHS Edinburg and STHS Children’s. “Heart disease and vascular disease are one of the most significant diseases that affect our families and so we’ve been working for several years to put together this plan to bring in the highest level of technology, bring in the best trained physicians as well as Cath Lab technicians and nurses so that we can create an incredible program for our community.”
During the ribbon-cutting ceremony, STHS Edinburg leaders and staff members were joined by Hidalgo County Precinct 4 Commissioner Ellie Torres, Edinburg Mayor Ramiro Garza, Jr. and Edinburg City Councilman Daniel “Dan” Diaz, as well as members of the Edinburg Chamber of Commerce and Rio Grande Valley Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
“As our community continues to grow, this investment that South Texas Health System has made is important so that people have access to these potentially life-saving diagnostic cardiovascular services,” said Edinburg Mayor Ramiro Garza Jr. “It’s a known fact that heart disease is prevalent in our community, so we need programs like this one at STHS Edinburg to help people stay healthy.”
“We’re a city of 100,000 people and growing, and it’s vital to give our residents access to expanded healthcare services as well as provide employment opportunities for our community,” Garza added. “We want to thank South Texas Health System for continuing to make investments in the City of Edinburg that have a positive impact on our residents.”
Innovation and Improvement
In STHS Edinburg’s Cardiac Cath Lab, cardiologists will be able to use the latest technology available in the market to take cardiovascular images of blood vessels to perform peripheral catheterizations, which target the extremities below the legs, as well as cardiovascular catheterizations, which concentrate on the heart and arteries surrounding it.
“Most patients get cardiac catheterization procedures because they have unremitting chest pain following physical therapy, so we need to investigate further, or they have symptomatic, lower extremity pain, aches or wounds in their extremities that won’t heal and that we need to investigate further,” said Dr. Moses Ashukem, cardiologist, STHS Clinics. “With patients who have peripheral vascular disease, it can lead to debilitating aches and leg wounds that won’t heal. If not addressed appropriately, it can lead to amputation.”
“When somebody has an amputation, their mortality overall decreases about 50% over five years,” Ashukem added. “So having a limb salvage program here, having a cardiac catheterization lab here to help our patients in the Edinburg area is a fantastic way and a great way to move forward.”
With this latest addition to its services, South Texas Health System Edinburg, named a 2023 Best Regional Hospital by U.S. News & World Report, is reaffirming its commitment to providing the most innovative treatment options for the people of the region while delivering quality, compassionate care the people of the Valley have come to expect from STHS.