Cath labs are experiencing phenomenal change, as their volume decreases and cases become more complex. This is especially reflected in the way vendors have teamed up to offer interventional cardiologists more and varied options to diagnose and treat patients.

GE Healthcare and Radi Medical Systems (Uppsala, Sweden) on Monday announced a development and marketing and sales initiative to integrate Radi Medical Systems PressureWire Aeris, a wireless fractional flow reserve (FFR) technology, into GEs Mac-Lab IT hemodynamic recording system.

Some research has demonstrated that performing elective percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) in low-volume facilities, especially those without onsite cardiac surgery, can result in positive outcomes. Critics say, however, that these studies are mostly single-center investigations, which do not reflect the real risk of performing elective PCI without onsite surgical backup. In fact, critics point to studies using Medicare data, which do show an increase in mortality for patients treated at facilities without surgical backup.

In recent months, at least three non-hospital outpatient cath labs performed their last cardiac catheterization procedures. Faced with rising costs and looming reimbursement cuts, these physician-driven independent outpatient facilities made the difficult decision to close their doors for good.

Planning and creating the best cath lab for your facility and market requires a wide range of considerations, from current and future business patterns to space design to workflow and communication concerns. A good plan that includes input from all the relevant stakeholders goes a long way toward a successful long-term venture.

As multifunctional cardiac catheterization labs see new cardiovascular products constantly arriving and old ones getting pushed to the back shelves, administrators need a well-organized storage space, as well as a sophisticated method for integrated inventory management to control costs and revenue.

Cardiac cath labs operate in an increasingly challenging environment, contending with a variety of clinical, demographic, regulatory and competitive factors.

Recent trial results, multidetector CT and new and more uses for the services and equipment of the traditional cardiac catheterization lab are impacting the bottom line of facilities across the country. These and more factors may have temporarily decreased cath lab procedures, but experts in the field predict recovery—albeit a changing face for the cath lab.