Heart patients in northeast Georgia now have access to advanced testing and expert diagnosis for a rare, potentially fatal infection, all in one place.
Northeast Georgia Medical Center (NGMC) Gainesville recently began using PET/CT scans to check patients for endocarditis infection in the wire leads of their pacemakers or implantable cardiac defibrillators. NGMC Gainesville is the first and only hospital in the northeast Georgia region to offer this state-of-the-art diagnostic service.
“As patients’ life expectancy is significantly improved with these devices, the chances of infections involving the devices has also increased,” said Vedang Bhavsar, MD, a cardiologist with Georgia Heart Institute and medical director of Echo/Vascular and Nuclear Cardiology Imaging for Northeast Georgia Health System (NGHS). “If results from other tests are unclear, this PET/CT imaging protocol could literally be a lifesaver for some patients. At NGMC Gainesville, this process can be handled from beginning to end by your heart doctor, who understands your unique needs.”
Earlier this year, NGMC Gainesville moved most of its heart and vascular services to the hospital’s new, 11-story Green Tower. Along with new operating rooms and cardiac catheterization labs, the Green Tower features upgraded cardiac imaging technology. The facility now offers cardiac viability scans as well as tests for cardiac sarcoidosis, a rare inflammatory disease of the heart.
“We do every kind of test that is available within the field of nuclear cardiology,” said Dr. Bhavsar. “These new services help us achieve our mission to improve the health of our community in all we do.”