On April 15th, 2021, McLaren Bay Region performed its 100,000th cardiac catheterization procedure. Dr. Japhet Joseph who performed the very first cardiac catheterization in February of 1990, also had the honor of performing the 100,000th procedure.
“When we first started doing cardiac catheterizations in 1990, we had a half of a room which we had to share with interventional radiologists. The maximum number of cases we could do at that time was three per day,” said Japhet Joseph, MD, Interventional Cardiologist at McLaren Bay Region. “Now, we have three cardiac catheterization rooms, two electrophysiology rooms and one device room, and we routinely perform 25 cases a day.”
Over the past 30 years, McLaren Bay Region has continuously invested in their cardiac catheterization program to help meet the needs of the community. "It’s very rewarding when we see a patient who comes in here complaining about chest pain, you find they have a 99% blockage in one of their main arteries, and just by being able to open up that blockage they leave the procedure immediately feeling better," said Patrick Conachan, a Cardiac Cath Lab Supervisor at McLaren Bay Region.
On a weekly basis, between 80-90 cardiac catheterizations are performed at McLaren Bay Region. “100,000 is certainly an impressive number, but what’s more impressive is that it represents the impact made on a lot of lives over the course of 30 years,” said Roger Skrabut, Director of Patient Care Services over the cardiology service line at McLaren Bay Region. "I am very proud of the quality of care our team delivers."
McLaren Bay Region has positioned themselves as the region's leader in cardiac care. Their award-wining cardiology department is committed to delivering quality care to patients while providing excellence in the treatment of heart conditions from irregular heartbeat to more serious conditions such as heart attacks and congestive heart failure. With locations throughout the Great Lakes Bay Region including Bay City, West Branch, and Midland, McLaren Bay Region is committed to providing the highest quality of care, close to home.