A multi-million-pound state-of-the-art cardiac facility has formally opened in Liverpool
Tuesday, 20 February 2024
The brand-new catheter laboratory development at Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (LHCH) will enable thousands of cardiology procedures to be carried out every year to benefit patients across Merseyside, Cheshire, North Wales, Isle of Man and beyond.
The official opening ceremony took place on Friday afternoon (February 16th 2024) and was conducted by LHCH consultant cardiologists – Dr Raphael Perry (retiring Medical Director 2015-2024) and Professor Rod Stables.
Fully designed with patients, families and staff in mind, the six new catheter labs now offer a significant upgrade on the previous facilities, which required modernisation. The inclusion of new cameras, equipment and technology will support the delivery of safe and outstanding care for years to come.
The unit has a dedicated emergency blue light entrance to allow the most critically unwell patients to be brought directly into the catheter lab complex, where they can be met by an outstanding team of specialists for immediate life-saving treatment.
Dr Nick Palmer, Consultant Cardiologist and Director of the Catheter Laboratory Development, said:
“Everyone at LHCH is delighted that our new Cath Lab complex is officially opening, following three years of construction and many more years of discussion and plans.
“By significantly upgrading existing facilities, we have been able to further improve our Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PPCI) service, which first launched in 2009 thanks to the clinical leadership and vision of Dr Perry and Professor Stables. For the past 15 years, this service has provided emergency and often life-saving treatment for thousands of patients who have experienced a heart attack.
“It was also important to enhance patient experience by including a new forward wait area, and the introduction of a new relatives' room and butterfly suite - a private room for families of end-of-life patients – means that dignity can be maintained at all times.
"Furthermore, it has been designed to meet current as well as future demand and will allow us to care for the growing population of patients requiring congenital heart disease intervention, for example, in modern, world-class facilities.”
While the new catheter labs have been operational since the end of 2023, interventional cardiology services and cardiac surgery have been delivered on the hospital site for the past 60 years.
Dr Palmer added:
“It’s also important to acknowledge the many colleagues at LHCH who have worked so hard to deliver such an outstanding, new facility.”