When you come to the hospital for a procedure, you want your experience to be as uncomplicated as possible. That’s what Michael Ipavec found when he came to Catholic Medical Center for a cardiac catheterization.
“This is the second time I’ve had a cardiac catheterization and the big difference was not having to stay overnight upstairs in the hospital, which was very convenient,” explains Michael Ipavec, one of the first patients to use the New England Heart & Vascular Institute’s Cardiac Radial Lounge. “It was easier to handle this time. Not having to be an inpatient was really good. I felt better knowing that I could probably, as long as all went well, come home the same day.”
Ipavec had a catheterization and a stent placed 2006. Dr. Robert Capodilupo, his cardiologist saw him recently using telemedicine. “He’s done very well since 2006. Recently he’s had a return of his chest pain syndrome. It was time for another cardiac catheterization.”
His first catheterization was through an artery in his leg. This approach is called femoral access. This time, the procedure was able to be performed with a radial approach, or through an artery in his wrist.
Patients like Ipavec, who are good candidates for a radial catheterization, can now have their procedure preparation and recovery in the Cardiac Radial Lounge. Instead of recovering on a nursing floor in a bed, the patient is seated in a comfortable lounge chair and monitored in the Lounge. Patients are typically discharged the same day as the procedure. “The staff was pleasant and accommodated my needs while I waited before and after the procedure,” says Ipavec. “The Radial Lounge approach seemed to work very well.”
Interventional cardiologist Dr. Sylvia Yang, the physician who performed the catheterization explains, “In the current era, we essentially attempt radial access for all patients for patient comfort, shorter recovery time and to avoid serious bleeding complications related to femoral access. With few exceptions, almost all patients are good candidates for radial lounge/same day discharge.”
The Cardiac Radial Lounge represents yet another advance in patient comfort, care and convenience provided by the award-winning team at the New England Heart & Vascular Institute.