by Health Minister Michelle Thompson says the new expansions at the Regional Hospital in Sydney will include a cardiac catheterization lab.
In cardiac catheterization, a thin, flexible tube is guided through a blood vessel to the heart to diagnose or treat conditions such as clogged arteries.
Right now, the service is only available provincially in Halifax.
The province says the Regional Hospital’s cardiac services team treats more than 400 patients for heart attacks a year and more than 500 patients annually for congestive heart failure.
It says 300 Cape Bretoners who require cardiac catheterization each year are currently transported to Halifax by emergency air or ground ambulance.