Heartfelt thanks for new St John of God Hospital procedures (Australia)

"New procedures at St John of God Hospital are already saving the lives of cardiac patients. In a first for regional Victoria, the hospital's catheter laboratory is now doing cardiac angioplasty and stenting, which opens artery blockages and allows blood flow to the heart. Previously, patients needing the procedure were sent to Melbourne or Geelong. Cardiologist Dr Chris Hengel said having the procedures in Ballarat meant patients no longer had to travel for treatment, where they often had to wait days. "Patients can have the stents when they need, as opposed to when Melbourne labs can fit them in," Dr Hengel said. When Ballarat man Stewart Hutchison, 67, had a heart attack on Saturday, he expected to go to Melbourne this week for treatment. But thanks to the new service, Mr Hutchison was treated in Ballarat on Monday and was going home today. Coronary angioplasty and stenting is the use of a balloon to open up a coronary blockage, followed by the insertion of a stent, which is a tiny metal scaffold used to hold the artery open. Mr Hutchison could not praise the service enough. "It's just fantastic and I'm fortunate I could have it here," he said. The laboratory has done up to 18 stents with the new service and aims to perform 200 stents per year. SJOG chief executive officer John Fogarty said the hospital now provided almost the whole range of cardiac procedures using state-of-the-art technology" - The Courier