Nazareth Hospital introduces advanced interventional cardiology suite

Northeast Philadelphia — (November 30, 2020): Heart disease is one of our nation’s most common health problems—the leading cause of death for Americans age 35 and older. Introducing advancements in the medical technology used to diagnose and treat this condition is more critical than ever before at Nazareth Hospital. In an effort to help its physicians provide faster and more efficient cardiac care to Philadelphia area residents, Nazareth announced the opening of a new state-of-the-art cardiac catheterization X-ray lab from Philips Healthcare.

Nazareth will now be able to conduct minimally invasive procedures on the new system to treat a wide range of clinical problems including coronary artery disease—a leading cause of heart disorders in the U.S. These catheter-based procedures may reduce the risks and recovery time found in traditional surgical approaches. The benefits of catheter-based interventions include shorter hospital stays, reduced recovery time without the pain of a large incision, and less visible surgical scarring. These procedures can be performed on both the heart and peripheral blood vessels.

Specifically, Nazareth will use the Azurion image guided therapy system from Philips Healthcare. Azurion, with its ergonomic design and intuitive user interface, optimizes workflow, enabling clinicians to swiftly and confidently perform both routine and complex procedures. The system is designed to help clinicians work efficiently by reducing preparation and procedure time, enabling more patients¹ to be diagnosed and treated. Azurion provides high quality imaging, achieving excellent visibility at low X-ray dose levels for patients of all sizes. This fully digital system enables physicians to capture and view detailed images of a patient’s coronary structure, thereby facilitating faster diagnosis and treatment of cardiac disease.

Azurion’s workflow innovations paired with its low-dose imaging capabilities will help clinicians treat patients efficiently and provide superior care. “This is a direct benefit for our patients. This new X-ray system provides speed, low-dose levels, and outstanding image quality,” explained Nazareth interventional cardiologist Sunil Dhar, MD. “As providers, it allows us to complete a variety of diagnostic and interventional procedures faster. Patients are off the table and on their way to recovery and discharge much sooner.”

This flexible system can aid in the diagnosis and treatment of a range of patient conditions and can be used for procedures such as diagnostic catheterizations, stenting, and balloon angioplasty. Nazareth performs 625 of these types of procedures each year.

Nazareth has partnered with Philips Healthcare to provide this enhanced technology to its patients. “As a leader in image-guided therapy, we have been driving continuous innovation to address rising patient volumes and increased procedure complexity,” said Bert van Meurs, Business Leader Image Guided Therapy at Philips. “With the launch of the Azurion platform, which was designed to optimize system integration and lab performance, we can deliver new turnkey solutions that support clinicians in maintaining high standards of care.”

“Upgrading our Cath Lab is just another example of our commitment to bring the most advanced and expansive care to our community residents,” said Michael Magro, DO, MBA, FACOI, President of Nazareth Hospital. “Despite unprecedented challenges over the last year, we've made critical investments across the hospital to ensure technology and comfort are topnotch—including a completely renovated ICU and opening a brand-new ambulatory care center for women's services. And, we will continue make these types of advancements for our patients for years to come.”

¹compared to existing Philips image guided therapy platforms, which have been the market leader for many decades.