Philips supports Westmead Private Hospital’s multi-million dollar upgrade

MedTech News: Sydney residents now have access to the latest cardiac technology following a $2.4 million upgrade.

Westmead Private Hospital’s existing cardiac labs have been replaced with two Philips Bi-Plane Azurion 7 image guided therapy systems that are designed to allow for the simplification of complex coronary interventions, speed up routine procedures, and provide an improved level of patient care.

Developed in close collaboration with leading hospitals, Philips Azurion is an image-guided therapy platform that is designed to provide clinicians the control and information they need to perform procedures efficiently while delivering superior care for patients.

An independent study from St. Antonius Hospital in The Netherlands showed that Philips Azurion enabled a 17% reduction in procedure times, a 12% reduction of in-lab patient preparation time, and a 28% reduction of post procedure lab time – allowing the team to treat 1 more patient per day.

“As a leader in image-guided therapy, we have been driving continuous innovation to address rising patient volumes and increased procedure complexity,” said Matt Moran, Managing Director of Philips in Australia and New Zealand. “The Azurion platform, which was designed to optimise system integration and lab performance, can deliver new turnkey solutions that support clinicians in maintaining high standards of care.”

Cardiologist, Dr Lloyd Davis, said the new labs will allow for more streamlined patient care and a better patient experience.

“With the new cardiac catheter lab and angiography suites our team will be able to diagnose and treat a range of cardiac, interventional neuroradiology and endovascular conditions,” Dr Davis said.

“During cardiac catheterisation, a long thin tube is inserted in an artery or vein in the patient’s groin, neck or arm and threaded through blood vessels to the heart. Our doctors can then determine if there are any blockages in the arteries or heart under direct x-ray vision.

“The new labs will also be used for stenting and balloon angioplasty and can also be used for procedures to treat arrhythmias and some types of congenital structural heart disease.”

Westmead Private Hospital CEO, Mike Flatley, said hundreds of patients will be able to access the new cardiac catheter laboratory each year.   

“Last year we treated more than 1,600 patients with cardiovascular and neurological conditions, a 30 per cent increase on the previous year. The new lab is part of our commitment to investing in the latest technology to help our surgeons and medical teams provide high-quality cardiac services to patients,” Mr Flatley added.