First cath lab opens in northern Jerusalem

The futuristic cath lab will open at Hadassah-University Medical Center on Jerusalem’s Mount Scopus at the end of May.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
THE NEW cardiac catheterization lab at Hadassah-University Medical Center on Jerusalem’s Mount Scopus. (photo credit: HADASSAH SPOKESPERSON)
THE NEW cardiac catheterization lab at Hadassah-University Medical Center on Jerusalem’s Mount Scopus.
(photo credit: HADASSAH SPOKESPERSON)
Residents of Jerusalem’s northern neighborhoods will finally receive access to an advanced hospital cardiac catheterization unit without needing to cross the city after suffering a heart attack.
The futuristic cath lab will open at Hadassah-University Medical Center on Jerusalem’s Mount Scopus at the end of May.
The lab features the world’s most advanced technological systems and will be operated by specialists in cardiac catheterization. Special emphasis will be placed on populations that are known to be high-risk.
Research at Hadassah shows that Israeli women, particularly in traditional families, quickly call an ambulance for their loved ones and neighbors, but are reluctant to call an ambulance for themselves, even when suffering a potentially fatal heart attack. The Israel Heart Society reports that women come to the emergency room an average 59 minutes later than men, decreasing their chance of survival and increasing the chance of significant heart damage.
“We expect the opening of the most advanced cath lab in the world close to their homes will improve arrival time and results,” said Prof. Chaim Lotan, head of the Heart Institute at Hadassah. “For all patients, time means muscle, but women statistically come later and with more serious conditions.”
Although the cath lab is open to all, it is geared specifically to residents of northern Jerusalem neighborhoods including Ramot, Bar-Ilan Romema, Har Shlomo, Pisgat Ze’ev, Ma’aleh Adumim, the Old City, Mount Scopus, Eizariya and Shuafat, as well as nearby communities in the Binyamin region. Treatment for heart attacks, arrhythmias, transmission disorders and resuscitation are now possible within a short distance of their homes in the northern part of the city.
The unit has the highest standard in technological equipment manufactured by Philips Healthcare International, and is provided by the generosity of USAID-ASHA, through Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America.