The University of Iowa Heart and Vascular Center has added two new cardiac catheterization labs and updated existing ones to increase patient access to the service. The new labs have the most advanced technology in the state, according to a news release. The new technology reduces radiation exposure and decreases the amount of IV contrast dye used in the blood vessels. Doctors use cath labs to diagnose and treat cardiovascular disease. The UI Heart and Vascular Center completes close to 4,600 cardiac catheterization procedures each year and approximately 45,000 clinic visits across all subspecialties. “We manage the most complex cardiovascular patients in the state and our services are in high demand,” Dr. Phillip Horwitz, executive director of the UI Heart and Vascular Center, said in the release. “We’ve taken a number of steps in recent years to improve patient access, and our new cath labs are critical to our ability to promptly diagnose and treat patients’ conditions using the most advanced technology.”