UM Shore Regional Health to Begin Cardiac Catheterization Lab Renovations

A $2.5 million investment in upgrades and renovations to one of two Cardiac Catheterization labs located at the University of Maryland Shore Medical Center at Easton will provide state-of-the-art improvements for cardiac care provided by the University of Maryland Shore Regional Health's hospital in Talbot County.

Upgrades to the lab's fluoroscopy machine, renovations and repairs to the duct work and ventilation system, painting, and replacing the floors are also part of the project, which is an investment in the hospital's Cardiac Intervention Center designation.

"This is an exciting project for our hospital, and we appreciate the hard work and continued commitment to care from our Cardiology Services team, as well as the community's patience as we work toward completing these renovations," said Ken Kozel, President and CEO, UM Shore Regional Health. "We will upgrade our equipment and completely renovate the Cath Lab space. Improvements like this are important so that our highly skilled cardiology team can continue to offer our community exceptional, best-in-class heart care for both emergency and elective procedures."

During the renovations, which are expected to take nine to 12 months, some emergency and elective cardiology procedures will be done in a temporary modular Cath Lab next to the hospital's main entrance.

"When it comes to cardiac emergencies, time is muscle," said Hilary Cassel, Director, Heart and Vascular Center at UM Shore Regional Health. "Each year, our cardiology team performs more than 120 emergency percutaneous coronary interventions, or PCIs for STEMIs, which are ST-elevated myocardial infarctions, more commonly known as heart attacks."

PCI refers to a non-surgical, minimally invasive procedure used to treat obstructive artery disease or blockages in order to maintain blood supply to the heart. These methods also can be used electively for diagnostics and care of vessel blockage and disease.

The Cath Lab's newest lab was operational in 2016, prior to the hospital's Cardiac Intervention Center accreditation, which the hospital received in 2018.

"This investment to our Cath Lab will allow Shore Regional Health to continue saving lives and improve the heart health within our five-county community. We look forward to the future of the completed Cath Lab renovations," Cassel said.