Interventional angiography suite to check bodys blood vessels

CORNER BROOK - Finance Minister Tom Marshall may have left a wrong impression when highlighting one of the goodies in the provincial budget during his address to the Greater Corner Brook Board of Trade Monday.

Marshall was giving board members and guests some details on the budget, particularly some of the benefits for the Corner Brook region.

When he mentioned the new interventional angiography suite for Western Memorial Regional Hospital in Corner Brook, he said this referred to the "dye test," and that people needing that medical procedure would soon be able to have it done in Corner Brook instead of having to go to St. John's.

When most people hear dye test, they think of the procedure done to check for blockages in the heart's arteries, a procedure currently only done in St. John's.

However, according to Western Health, the new interventional angiography suite will be for dye tests to check for problems with blood vessels in other parts of the body.

Angiography and interventional radiology use x-rays and contrast dyes to examine and treat blockages and a number of conditions by observing blood flow in the veins and arteries.

The new suite announced in the budget, which will be a new piece of digital equipment that will enhance imagery and reduce radiation exposure to patients, will cost $2.4 million.

"This is not a new service, but we anticipate that there will be an increase in volume as a result of the funds to support this initiative," said Heidi Staeben-Simmonds, Western Health's communications director.

Interventional radiology is a method of treatment that uses the images supplied in the x-rays to insert small tubes, wires and other instruments into different vessels of the body and is often used as an alternative to much more invasive procedures in order to enhance the quality of life for patients without requiring higher risk surgery.

Some medical conditions that can be treated with this technology include blocked arteries in the leg, clots in major vessels, draining blocked kidneys, hooking up lines for renal dialysis for those with kidney trouble or hemodialysis lines for treating cancer patients.