Forrest General Unveils State-of-the-Art Heart Catheterization Lab

Forrest General Hospital unveiled its fifth cardiac catheterization lab on Wednesday. This expansion will help to accommodate the large volume of cardiac patients who depend on the quality heart and vascular services at Forrest General for life-saving diagnostics and treatment.

The new, state-of-the-art suite is the second cardiac cath lab dedicated for the treatment of electrophysiology patients, those who need help with the regulation of their heart rhythms.

The lab is a dream come true for cardiologist Mark Borganelli, M.D., who has been a member of the Forrest General staff for the past six years and who cut the ribbon to officially open the facility. Before the day was out, he had christened the room with the completion of three heart ablation procedures.

Millie Swan, vice president, is glad to have the new suite open. “There have been a lot of people who have worked together to make this happen,” Swan said. “We are excited to be able to provide this modern and advanced cath lab for our patients as well as our doctors and staff members.”

Borganelli said the addition of a second lab used to fix the heart’s electrical issues will allow both he and fellow cardiologist, Diego Alcivar, M.D., to conduct procedures simultaneously for a much more efficient schedule. The hospital has four other labs for regular heart catheterization procedures.

The large suite, roughly three times the size of the previous suite, provides plenty of space for the necessary equipment as well as full anesthesia capabilities and room for staff to move around more freely. “The other lab dedicated to EP can be used for smaller procedures,” Borganelli said.

The suite also houses the latest technology in X-ray equipment. “There is nothing better,” Borganelli said. “This is some of the finest equipment in the world. Here in cardiology at Forrest General, we can now do anything other large health facilities can do except heart transplants. I built an EP lab at University Medical Center and this is better, in my opinion.”

He thanked the staff as well as Forrest General’s administration. “We cannot thank you enough. I appreciate this more than you know,” he said. “It’s like a nice new home.”

Dr. Alcivar said he was honored to be a part of this team. “This is the fruition of Dr. Borganelli’s hard work. He has built this program during the course of the last six years, and this is the ideal continuation of his great program in this great facility,” he said. “Our goal is to grow EP and continue to provide better treatment for our community. The idea of a hybrid room such as this is to provide all the services we can. I’m honored to say that here in Hattiesburg we have the capacity for all of these services.”

About Forrest General’s Cardiac Services

Forrest General’s Heart and Vascular Services delivers expert care from board-certified cardiologists, cardiovascular surgeons and vascular surgeons. Services range from diagnostic testing, heart surgery and structural heart treatment to Interventional cardiology, cardiac rehabilitation and vascular treatment. To learn more about services, advanced treatment options or heart disease risks, signs and symptoms, visit www.forrestgeneral.com/heart.