CARDIAC FUTURE AT ST VINCENT’S

CONTEMPORARY NEW LOOK FOLLOWING MAJOR WORKS

What a difference a year makes — a year ago St Vincent’s Private Hospital was about to become a construction site, hoarding was being erected and staff offices and services were being relocated in preparation for the closure of the main hospital entrance and demolition works to begin.

Twelve months on and the builders are gone, the hospital main entrance with lift access to the wards has reopened and day-to-day operations and activity in the hospital has resumed.

The $30-million Clive Berghofer Operating Theatre Suite is complete and due to be officially opened on February 22 — and what an amazing facility it is.

The hospital now boasts a contemporary new main reception area, six new operating theatres including a state-of-the-art hybrid theatre, and spacious new recovery areas.

With the hybrid theatre has come the introduction of a cardiology service in partnership with Heart Care Partners and local cardiologists, Dr Bob Ayres and Hearts 1st.

The St Vincent’s Cardiology Service, which will begin with cardiac diagnostics, will develop into full interventional services later in the year.

Hospital chief executive officer Kathryn Mckeefry said the new Clive Berghofer Operating Theatre Suite and the introduction of a cardiology service was particularly exciting for the hospital and the community.

“We thank Mr Clive Berghofer for his generosity and ongoing support of St Vincent’s — Clive donated $5 million to this project and thanks to this support, our new theatre suite also includes a hybrid theatre equipped with state-ofthe-art cardiac catheter laboratory technology,” Ms Mckeefry said.

“And once our cardiology service has developed to include full interventional services, in the majority of cases, cardiac patients can be brought to St Vincent’s in an emergency and not need to be transferred to another facility to receive the appropriate treatment, which could be a potential life saver for someone.”