A new Cardiac Hybrid Theatre has opened at Rockhampton Hospital and is welcoming its first patients, marking a significant milestone in the expansion of cardiac services for Central Queensland.
The facility brings together a fully equipped interventional cardiology procedure room with advanced imaging technology, supporting a broader range of cardiac diagnostic and interventional procedures within a single space – giving more Central Queenslanders access to life-saving care closer to home.
Starting with diagnostic procedures, including coronary angiograms, the service will expand to include pacemakers and stents, reducing the need for patients to travel to South East Queensland for cardiac treatment by around 80 per cent.
Located on Level 3 at Rockhampton Hospital, the highly specialised procedure room will treat nine patients per week in its first three months.
Central Queensland Health Chief Executive Lisa Blackler said the Cardiac Hybrid Theatre further expands services available locally and will be supported by Sunshine Coast University Hospital for the first three months.
“The state-of-the-art infrastructure allows us to deliver more advanced procedures locally and will support safe, high-quality clinical care for Central Queenslanders, closer to home,” she said.
“For patients, it will save valuable time, travel expenses and the stress of seeking treatment away from loved ones.
“This investment represents an important step towards Rockhampton Hospital becoming Australia's leading regional centre of excellence for cardiac care.
“We are thankful for the support of Sunshine Coast University Hospital as we get our new service up and running.
“I’m delighted we can provide comprehensive cardiac care for Central Queenslanders and deliver better outcomes for patients and their families.”
The facility is led by specialist cardiologists who work alongside a multidisciplinary team of nurses, cardiac physiologists, radiographers and support staff to deliver continuity of care across diagnosis, treatment and recovery.
Cardiology Clinical Director Dr Sam Sidharta said the new Cardiac Hybrid Theatre (cardiac catheterisation laboratory) would be a gamechanger for patients.
“The cardiac catheterisation laboratory is a specialised procedure room where our clinicians diagnose and treat heart conditions using minimally invasive techniques,” he said.
“The dedicated diagnostic service will initially provide services for elective outpatients, before expanding to support inpatient care.
“We’re so excited about this expansion to cardiology services – it means more efficient, coordinated, patient-centred care.”
The expansion in cardiology services includes:
- a Cardiac Hybrid Theatre (Cardiac Catheterisation Laboratory)
- a transoesophageal echocardiogram procedure room
- six recovery bays
- six new inpatient beds, increasing the Cardiology Ward capacity to 12 beds
- an expanded Cardiac Investigations Unit with seven assessment and diagnostic spaces.