New $4M Cath Lab Opens At Prince William Medical Center

MANASSAS, VA — Novant Health UVA Health System Prince William Medical Center in Manassas opened a second cardiac catheterization laboratory, a new facility that will help meet the region's growing demand for heart and vascular services, the health system said Monday. The Prince William Medical Center’s first cath lab opened in 2011.

The new $4 million cath lab is equipped with state-of-the-art imaging technology for the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular patients. A second lab will help the hospital keep up with the growing demand for minimally invasive procedures to treat patients with coronary and vascular disease, the health system said.

"We made this $4 million investment because we’re committed to the community and need to provide the cardiac services they require close to home,” Stephen Smith M.D., president and chief operating officer of Novant Health UVA Health System Prince William Center and Haymarket Medical Center, said Monday in a statement. “This second cath lab will allow us to handle our increased volumes and provide both emergency and elective procedures in a timely manner."

Cath labs are examination rooms in hospitals and clinics with diagnostic imaging equipment used to visualize the arteries of the heart and the chambers of the heart and treat any stenosis or abnormality found.

The Prince William Medical Center worked with Manassas-based general contractor R.W. Murray Co. on the construction of the second cath lab.

With improvements in technology and as the field of cardiology evolves, hospitals in Virginia and across the country are upgrading and expanding their heart and vascular units to help patients with heart disease. Earlier this month, Mary Washington Hospital held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for two newly constructed electrophysiology labs and two redesigned cardiac catheterization labs.