With one in five Americans suffering from one or more forms of cardiovascular disease, making advancements in the medical technology used to diagnose and treat these conditions is critical. In an effort to provide faster and more accurate vascular care to New Iberia area residents, Iberia Medical Center has installed a new state-of-the-art angiographic X-ray lab.

With the new equipment, IMC is now able to conduct minimally invasive procedures to treat a wide range of problems including stroke, carotid artery disease, abdominal aortic aneurysms and other peripheral vascular disorders. These catheter-based procedures are designed to reduce some of the risks and recovery time usually needed in traditional surgical approaches.

“We’ve been using this particular equipment since May 1,” said Marcus Latiolais, RT, manager. “We’ve been doing this particular procedure since the 1970s.”

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Among the many benefits of catheter-based interventions are shorter hospital stays, reduced recovery time without the pain of a large incision, and less visible surgical scarring.

This fully digital system enables physicians to capture and view detailed images of a patient’s vascular structure, making possible faster and more accurate diagnosis and treatment of vascular disease. Equally important, the Allura exposes patients to less radiation during the actual procedures than other systems, said Marcus Latiolais, cardiovascular manager at IMC.

“Both our patients and clinicians will benefit from the speed and excellent image accuracy of this new X-ray system,” said Latiolais. “It will allow our physicians to complete a variety of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures faster, and that means the patient is off the table and on their way to recovery and discharge much sooner.”

The multi-functional system can aid in the diagnosis and treatment of a range of patient conditions and can be used for procedures such as diagnostic catheterizations, stenting, balloon angioplasty and embolizations.

Iberia Medical Center has partnered with Philips Medical Systems to provide this enhanced technology to its patients.

“Interventional X-ray technology is a vital component in the future of medicine,” said Richard Fabian, vice president, Cardiac and Vascular X-ray, Philips Medical Systems. “The Philips Allura brings a new level of quality and detail to images, allowing physicians to offer patients safe and effective alternatives to surgery.”