Nellis hospital adds capability to combat heart disease

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Michael Charles
  • Nellis Public Affairs
NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. --  Unhealthy living habits and a lower focus on physical fitness are putting individuals at a higher risk to contract heat disease as well as other issues which affects blood flow throughout the body.

To combat this issue and to help the military community in the Las Vegas area, the Air Force has taken steps to add diagnostic and treatment capabilities to its medical facilities. For more than three years, the 99th Medical Group has been preparing its own staff to open the hospital's new Cardiovascular Catheterization Laboratory, which saw its first operation Oct. 13, 2011.

"Cardiovascular catheter procedures are a service we have been unable to provide to our patients in the Las Vegas area," said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Noah Greene, 99th Medical Group cardiologist. "This is the number one condition that we refer patients out to other hospitals in the area. Sometimes, veterans even have to travel to California to get the procedure done. "

Cardiologists around the country have a saying that "myocytes is minutes." This means, for every minute the heart does not pump enough blood to receive oxygen, the myocytes, which are cells found in muscles including the heart, are dying.

"Coronary artery disease is the number one killer of Americans," Greene said. "When you can't care for basic cardiac disease, which includes diagnosing or treating it, it really limits the capability, overall, of your facility. Its' such a common condition that not being able to treat patients, suspected of the disease, with chest pains, whether it's in the emergency room or outpatients, really takes the wind out of your operations."

After receiving approval from Congress and the Air Force, the hospital decided to open the new lab in a series of phases.

The first phase is a diagnostics phase. During this phase, all operations will be low-risk diagnostic catheter procedures to familiarize the hospital staff with the lab's new equipment and capabilities. A cardio catheterization diagnostic procedure is when the doctor tests the blood flow of the arteries around the heart and checks for blockage or obstruction of blood flow. During the procedure, the doctor enters a catheter, which is a long wire, through the artery in a patient's leg or arm and runs it to the coronary arteries and chambers of the heart. Once there, the doctor squirts a dissolving dye into the blood from the catheter. The dye makes the blood visible on an X-ray system, which doctors view and check for any obstruction.

"The catheterization lab is a necessary capability for any facility," said U.S. Air Force Maj. Steven Regwan, 99 MDG cardiologist. "Out of all the medical issues out there, coronary disease is the leading cause of death in America. That being said, it is important that we are able to have a catheterization lab in the hospital to send a message to our patients that we are offering the capabilities they need in the same hospital that they go to for all of their medical needs."

The final phase includes procedures that involve applying a coronary stent to closing arteries. A coronary stent is a tube mounted on the end of a catheter. During an emergency, when an individual is having an active heart attack or is in danger of his or her heart not pumping enough oxygen, the tube is able to push itself against the inner wall of the artery allowing more blood to get through. This operation is typically the last step, prior to scheduling the individual for a heart bypass.

"Situations where the artery is almost completely closed present a unique challenge," Regwan said. "Currently guidelines state an artery must be opened back up within 90 minutes upon the doctor's recognition of a serious blockage. We are still able to transfer and complete the procedure at another hospital, but for a procedure where time is minutes it is beneficial to be able to conduct the operation in the same facility. Within the next few months we will be able to do just that."

With this new cardiovascular catheterization lab, the Air Force has given Nellis the capability to combat effectively a disease that takes the lives of more than 500,000 individuals a year and has enabled the MOFH to continue to provide innovative, cutting edge medical care for military members throughout the Las Vegas area.

For more information on coronary artery disease and ways to prevent it, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website at http://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/ .