Cath lab open for business
Former prison officer Keith Parsons is looking forward to getting released later today after becoming the first patient to be treated in Ealing Hospital’s new cath lab.
Keith, 66, was given the thumbs up to go home after an investigation which involved guiding a catheter through an artery in his arm to check the condition of his heart and arteries.
“I watched it all on screen with the doctor giving a running commentary. It was such a relief to hear I could go home.”
Keith was admitted to hospital after complaining of chest pains with his heart feeling like it was skipping a beat.
“It was quite a scary sensation because every other beat felt like my breath was being taken away. I’ve lived with an irregular heart beat since I was 40 but this was something else.
“The hospital staff were so calm and good natured it immediately put me at ease.”
The new Ealing lab, which will investigate up to ten patients a day, means local patients will no longer have to be transferred to Northwick Park.