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4 Living Well
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Simi Valley Hospital
SIMI VALLEY HOSPITAL
has some very
good news regarding care for heart attack
patients: One of the most advanced cardiac cath-
eterization labs in the county is now in operation
at the hospital.
When a heart attack strikes, every minute
matters. That’s because the artery blockage that
causes a heart attack deprives the heart muscle
of life-giving oxygen. Without oxygen, muscle
tissue dies.
In many cases, one of the best treatment
options is to rush the patient directly to the cardiac
catheterization lab for an emergency procedure
that opens up blocked arteries. Cardiologists
often follow that procedure—commonly known as
angioplasty—with placement of a device called a
stent that helps to keep the artery open.
One step better
Simi Valley Hospital’s Cardiac Catheterization
Laboratory has the capability for angioplasty and
stent placement but takes heart attack care one
important step further. There are times when an
interventional cardiologist determines that, instead
of angioplasty, immediate open-heart surgery is
needed to help a heart attack patient. For most
cardiac catheterization labs, that means the patient
A heart-saving choice
That strange sensation in her mouth and throat was probably just her acid reflux acting up, Karen
McGinty told herself. But since she was getting ready to leave the next day on a trip back east to
look at colleges with her son, she decided to have someone check it out.
The news McGinty got when she went to Simi Valley Hospital on March 25 was shocking: She
had had a heart attack.
“I did have some chest pain, but it wasn’t really strong—not what you would expect from a heart
attack,” McGinty said. “I just didn’t feel good, and the feeling didn’t go away.”
In Simi Valley Hospital’s Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory the next day, interventional cardiologist
Shahrzad Shareghi, MD, discovered that a branch of one of McGinty’s main arteries was 90 percent
blocked. Dr. Shareghi performed angioplasty and then placed a stent to help the artery remain open.
McGinty, a former nurse at the hospital, said her entire experience was exceptional.
“The Cath Lab itself was very impressive, and my experience at the hospital from start to finish
was wonderful,” she said. “Everyone from the Emergency Department to the Cath Lab to ICU and
Telemetry was very professional, very competent and very caring. I couldn’t have had better care
than what I received at the hospital. I felt very cared for.”
has to be transferred to an operating room, taking
valuable time from the treatment process.
The Cardiac Catheterization Lab at Simi Valley
Hospital is Ventura County’s first-ever hybrid lab,
meaning it has the capability to be converted
into a fully functional open-heart surgery suite
at a moment’s notice, eliminating the need to
transfer patients to a separate operating room.
Whenever the hybrid capabilities are
required, the cardiologist and cardiovascular
surgeon, along with the support team, seam-
lessly transition the patient from angioplasty
to surgery, saving precious—and potentially
lifesaving—minutes.
NEW HYBRID CARDIAC CATHETERIZATION LAB IS A VENTURA COUNTY FIRST
Simi Valley Hospital has the county’s first-ever
hybrid Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory, which
can be immediately converted to a fully functioning
open-heart surgery suite when needed.
Minutes
matter