Sonora Regional Cath Lab Exceeds Expectations After First Year

Sonora, CA — Officials with Sonora Regional Medical Center say nearly 300 patients have been treated in the first year of operation of the hospital´s new Cardiac Catheterization Lab.

Hospital officials say it´s the only lab of its kind in the four-county Mother Lode area.

The lab was opened in late 2004 in an effort to minimize the need for local heart residents to leave the area for treatment. The lab was built in large part with $1.5 million in community donated funds.

Hospital officials say the goal for the first year was to perform 200 procedures, however doctors say the services went smoother and safer than expected.

Hospital administrators have also announced their intent to recruit an Interventional Cardiologist for 2006.

Officials say the hospital treated more than 270 thousand patients last year.

Written by Eric Nelson