Dr Balwant Singh’s Hospital Inc. is now offering access to a Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory (Cath Lab) and advanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) services to improve medical care for patients.
Patients with heart disease or those who would like an evaluation of the heart are expected to benefit from the Cath Lab, which was unveiled at a news conference yesterday.
Cardiologist Dr Mahendra Prashad Samal, who is in charge of the lab, noted that it has the capacity to conduct diagnostic services and procedures for almost all cardiac ailments.
Dr Samal explained that cardiac catheterization and angiography tests, in which catheters (hollow tubes) are inserted into the heart through a blood vessel in the groin or in the arm, are done to evaluate the anatomy and function of the heart and surrounding blood vessels. Insertion through the arm is the most widely-used and modern method for the insertion of the catheter.
Meanwhile, the MRI machine is a 1.5 Tesla high magnetic field device that produces images of the body and is important in making the final diagnosis of many brain, spine, soft tissue and bone conditions. It produces images of any body part and is capable of producing an entire image of the spine, vertebrae and all discs in the body.
Radiologist Dr Sabujan Sainudeen said that the MRI will be able to provide a service that patients normally have to seek overseas in addition to its other advantages. He added that MRI gives the best resolution of internal organs and can produce images in multidimensional formats in comparison to other scanners, such as x-rays and CT scans, and without harmful radiation.
MRI is also the best equipment in the evaluation of patients with epilepsy, spinal cord disease, disc disease, bone metastasis and spinal tuberculosis, the doctor added.
Dr Madhu Singh of the hospital told reporters that the MRI machine has been in operation for about a month now. She added that the cost for an MRI evaluation as well and services from the Cath Lab are on par with that of other hospitals. The two services are available for emergencies 24-hours a day, including on holidays.
