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Rashid Hospital, the biggest hospital in the emirate, became the first in the Middle East to introduce a state-of-the-art catherization laboratory (cath lab).
The highly specialised system has two procedure rooms, a Hybrid and a Biplane lab, that boasts of cutting-edge features and has a calm and stimulating environment to ease patients’ anxiety.
The addition of multiple coloured lights, naturistic pictures on the walls and ceilings help create a relaxing environment especially since cath procedures take place under local anaesthesia and patients are alert and aware of their surroundings.
Given the high volume of cardiovascular cases the hospital receives, the advanced lab will benefit a significant number of patients. The cardiology department is the second busiest at the hospital after the Emergency and Trauma Centre. In 2017, more than 1,900 patients underwent cath procedures including pacemaker installation, coronary angiogram, coronary angioplasty with stenting, and TAVI.
Globally, cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death and according to some studies; in the Middle-East heart attacks take place approximately ten years earlier than in many western countries.
His Excellency Humaid Al Qutami, Director-General of the Dubai Health Authority, said, “Life-saving procedures are a priority and we will continue to invest in technology, manpower and management systems to provide the highest quality of care to our patients. The introduction of this technology will directly benefit patient-outcomes and experience.”
Dr Fahd Baslaib, CEO of Rashid Hospital and head of cardiology said, “The hybrid catherization system combines both catherization and surgical procedures so that if there is an emergency we can immediately switch from the minimally invasive procedure to a surgical one in the same location almost immediately. This saves time, which is critical in such cases, and ensures quicker patient recovery. Even in non-critical cases, the system is highly beneficial as we can perform different procedures one after the other. This eliminates the need to transfer patients, reduces the waiting time between two procedures and ensures quicker patient recovery.”
He added that the Biplane cath lab is equipped with an electrophysiology system to do ablation procedures.
Reduction in radiation by 60 to 80 per cent:
Dr Baslaib said, “As cath procedures become common and thus more complex, they often require longer imaging time and thus the amount of radiation exposure for healthcare professionals and patients is increasing. This cath lab uses 60 to 80 per cent lesser radiation without affecting the resolution of images, which is a major advantage.”
Reduction in the use of contrast dye:
Dr Baslaib said, “The Biplane system can produce two images at the same time with a single contrast injection. Thus, patients need less contrast dye, which is particularly important for patients with comorbidities such as kidney disease.”
Advanced Imaging and Heart Navigation System:
Dr Baslaib said that the cath lab provides 3-D images in real time and has enhanced visibility features such as live imaging and navigation.
“The Heart Navigator System and the Dynamic Road Map are extremely useful features for interventionists to perform complex procedures with utmost precision. These two features are only available in the cath lab at Rashid Hospital in the Middle East. They are particularly beneficial for complex catheter and ablation techniques that require advanced imaging and accurate navigation inside vessels.”
Third DHA smart pharmacy inaugurated:
After the tour of the cath lab, Al Qutami also inaugurated the third DHA smart pharmacy.
The pharmacy is for the Emergency and Trauma Centre at Rashid hospital and uses a robot for dispensing and prescribing medication. DHA also has another smart pharmacy at Rashid Hospital and one at Dubai Hospital.
Al Qutami said, “In line with our aim to foster the use of smart technology, we will expand smart pharmacies to all DHA hospitals.”
Dr Ali Al Sayed, Director of Pharmaceutical Services Department at DHA said, “The smart pharmacy uses a robot that can store up to 35,000 medicines and dispenses around 11 prescriptions in less than one minute. This greatly enhances efficiency and reduces patient wait times.”
Dr Al Sayed said the robot dispensing process is paper free as the robot stores the prescription as soon as the doctor documents it electronically.
He added that depending on the robot to dispense the medication allows the pharmacist to focus on giving customers the correct instructions on taking the medication.
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