The Artis zeego multi-axis C-arm in St. Francis Medical Center’s hybrid lab.
St. Francis Medical Center recently became the first medical facility in Mercer County to offer the Artis zeego multi-axis C-arm system from Siemens Healthcare.
Located in a new hybrid lab, this technology combines the imaging capabilities of a cardiac catheterization lab with the sterile environment of a conventional operating room.
According to the hospital’s Cardiac Catheterization and Interventional department medical director Jay K. Patel, cath labs are used for minimally invasive catheter procedures, such as balloon angioplasties, while standard operating rooms are used for more invasive procedures such as open-heart surgery.
“The hybrid OR enables physicians to do procedures that may require minimally invasive and open-surgery techniques simultaneously,” Dr. Patel said in a statement.
The Heart Hospital at St. Francis Medical Center is the only state-recognized Regional Cardiac Center in Mercer County.
Over the past several years, St. Francis has invested nearly $10 million on facility and capital equipment improvements to support the growth of the cardiac surgery program. From the creation of a second cardiac catheterization laboratory to meet the demand for increased diagnostic procedures to the new cardiothoracic care unit for post-surgical recovery, The Heart Hospital offers an impressive, comprehensive range of cardiac treatment services.
Dr. Jay K. Patel of Hamilton Cardiology Associates and Dr. David Drucker of Mercer Bucks Cardiology currently perform endovascular procedures in the new hybrid lab.
In the near future, St. Francis Medical Center plans to offer non-surgical treatment of aortic stenosis, also known as TAVR, in the hybrid lab.
More information is online at stfrancismedical.org.

,