Cardiologists and vascular surgeons at Iowa Lutheran Hospital have begun using a new, state-of the-art cardiac catheterization laboratory that will enhance the detection and treatment of heart and vascular disease, Iowa Health – Des Moines officials said.

The all-digital “combo” lab, manufactured by Siemens Corp., allows cardiologists to better diagnose and treat heart disease by seeing heart structures and blood vessels more clearly than ever before.

“Image quality is critical,” said Dr. Amar Nath, a cardiologist with Iowa Health Cardiology who will use the cath lab on a regular basis. “The new lab is going to get a lot of use, because it was designed from the ground up to have the right tools for cardiologists and electro-physiologists.”

The equipment is also ideally suited for vascular surgeons to diagnose and treat peripheral vascular disease; it provides highly detailed images of arteries and veins in the head, neck, abdomen, arms and legs. It also significantly reduces the radiation dosage for both patients and the exposure of hospital staff and technicians.