(Left to right): Tamra Kaplan, COO, Long Beach Memorial; Gregory Thomas, M.D., MPH, medical director, MemorialCare Heart & Vascular Institute, Long Beach Memorial; Fernando Mendoza, M.D., medical director, cardiac imaging, MemorialCare Heart & Vascular Institute, Long Beach Memorial; Rex Winters, M.D., medical director, invasive cardiology, MemorialCare Heart & Vascular Institute, Long Beach Memorial; Daniel Bethencourt, M.D., medical director, cardiac surgery, MemorialCare Heart & Vascular Institute, Long Beach Memorial; Ida Merline, vice president, MemorialCare Heart & Vascular Institute, Long Beach Memorial; Judy Fix, Chief Nursing Operator, Long Beach Memorial & Miller Children’s Hospital Long Beach; Henry Van Gieson, M.D., medical director, cardiac care unit, MemorialCare Heart & Vascular Institute, Long Beach Memorial; Derek Lester, director, invasive cardiology, MemorialCare Heart & Vascular Institute, Long Beach Memorial; and Steven Appleby, M.D., medical director, cardiac rehab, MemorialCare Heart & Vascular Institute, Long Beach Memorial, cut the ribbon to unveil the Hybrid Imaging Suite.

On May 1, the MemorialCare Heart & Vascular Institute at Long Beach Memorial hosted a special ceremony to unveil its new Hybrid Imaging Suite – leading the way in specialized minimally invasive heart valve care for the region.

The new Hybrid Imaging Suite features the most advanced imaging technology and combines the diagnostic capabilities of a catheterization laboratory with the surgical functions of an operating room. The unique combination of features allows the MemorialCare Heart & Vascular Institute care team to easily switch from a catheterization lab to an operating room during procedures that may need special care. The advanced imaging, including 3D reconstruction, assists in time-of-care diagnosis and expedites treatment.

“The imaging technology available in the Hybrid Imaging Suite is one of its kind in the region,” says Gregory Thomas, M.D., MPH, medical director, MemorialCare Heart & Vascular Institute, Long Beach Memorial. “If something were to happen during a routine catheterization laboratory procedure, the team can easily switch gears and turn the Suite into an operating room without having to move the patient from room-to-room.”

The imaging capabilities also give the MemorialCare Heart & Vascular Institute the opportunity to provide the specialized Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) procedure – a minimally-invasive way to replace the aortic heart valve without opening the chest. With a tiny device, this catheter-based procedure replaces the aortic heart valve for people with severe aortic stenosis without open heart surgery.

“The TAVR procedure provides many new opportunities for Long Beach Memorial and our patients,” says Rex Winters, M.D., medical director, invasive cardiology, MemorialCare Heart & Vascular Institute, Long Beach Memorial. “Patients that were once considered inoperable because they could not handle the bodily stress of open heart surgery, now have an opportunity for an improved quality of life.”

Guests listen as Derek Lester, director, invasive cardiology, MemorialCare Heart & Vascular Institute, Long Beach Memorial, explains the technology in the Hybrid Imaging Suite.

The Hybrid Imaging Suite combines advanced imaging with the features of a catheterization laboratory with the functions of an operating room.