Print PageMinister for Health, Leo Varadkar TD, Officially Opens New Cardiac Intervention Unit
Monday December 08, 2014
The Minister for Health, Leo Varadkar TD, has today officially opened a new Cardiac Intervention Unit at Dublin’s Beaumont Hospital.
Construction of the new facility, in addition to refurbishment of an existing intervention unit, involved an investment of over €2.2m. A Cardiac Intervention Unit is an examination room equipped with sophisticated imaging technology which allows doctors to diagnose and treat heart conditions using catheters instead of surgery.
Minister Varadkar said “I am delighted to officially open this state-of-the-art facility. It shows that even though funding available to our health service is tight, it is still possible to find some money to invest in modern technology and new high-quality facilities. When we hear about health it is usually because something has gone wrong. But there are lots of positive developments happening in our health service and we should acknowledge them too. This new facility has increased capacity for cardiological interventions in the region which can be ramped up further in future years."
The development of this new facility by GE Healthcare and the refurbishment of an existing unit means that equipment which was more than twelve years old, and which required more frequent servicing as a result, has now been replaced by the most modern technology available. Two Innova IGS 520 and ComboLab systems have been installed for cardiovascular and electrophysiology procedures. These systems are designed to deliver the image clarity and contrast required by clinicians, while also allowing them to adjust patient doses to the lowest levels possible.
Mr Liam Duffy, Chief Executive of Beaumont Hospital said “One of the key successes of the project had been the great interdepartmental cooperation within the hospital from the start of the undertaking in 2013. Full clinical services were maintained throughout the project.”