Mount Auburn Hospital Opens Renovated Cardiac Catheterization Lab

Lab Provides Lifesaving Interventions for Heart Patients

Cambridge, MA — Mount Auburn Hospital recently celebrated the opening of its renovated Cardiac Catheterization Lab (Cath Lab) with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The Cath Lab serves approximately 1,500 patients a year and, in many cases, allows the patient to avoid the risks and recovery time of open-heart surgery. Procedures that are performed in the Cath Lab include coronary angiography (imaging blockages), angioplasty/stenting (opening arteries), pacemaker insertion, structural valve repairs, and electrophysiology studies.

“Many of the newest cardiac interventions and procedures can be performed in the Cath Labs rather than in an operating room, providing a less invasive experience for patients,” said Kyle Pond, MD, chief of Cardiology, Mount Auburn Hospital. “In emergency situations, immediate catheterization is a lifesaving procedure, and in non-emergency situations it can salvage heart muscle and improve patient outcomes.”

In the last five years, the volume of procedures performed in the Mount Auburn Cath Labs has increased by 40%. The new Cath Lab equipment reduces radiation exposure for both patients and care providers and provides seamless integration with specialized diagnostic imaging tools.

“Catheterization procedures can help to identify blockages and other cardiac concerns, and in many cases allow the patient to avoid open heart surgery,” said Ed Huang, MD, president, Mount Auburn Hospital. “Upgrading the lab is critical to maintaining Mount Auburn’s ability to meet the increasing needs of our cardiology patients, and to provide both patients and providers with the highest quality experience.”

The renovation was made possible, in part, thanks to generous philanthropic support from the community. Plans and fundraising are underway to renovate the hospital’s second Cath Lab.

About Mount Auburn Hospital

Mount Auburn Hospital was founded in 1886. A teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School, its mission is to provide clinically excellent care with compassion and to teach students of medicine and the health professions.

Mount Auburn Hospital is a part of Beth Israel Lahey Health, a healthcare system that brings together academic medical centers and teaching hospitals, community and specialty hospitals, more than 4,700 physicians and 39,000 employees in a shared mission to expand access to great care and advance the science and practice of medicine through groundbreaking research and education.