National Heart Institute opens catheterisation lab with GE Healthcare

National Heart Institute contributes to cardiology services in Vietnam with GE Healthcare’s catheterisation lab

Bach Mai Hospital is one of the largest hospitals in north Vietnam, and its National Heart Institute has a reputation for being one of the top referral sites in the country. Including the newly installed cath lab, the hospital will have six cath labs in operation.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are caused by disorders of the heart and blood vessels. According to the World Health Organization, CVDs are the No.1 cause of death globally. In Vietnam, one out of every three deaths are attributed to CVD, making it the leading cause of death in the country. Technology such as cath labs supports the early detection of heart disease through imaging technology such as stress echocardiogram and digital subtraction angiography to visualise the arteries, veins, and heart chambers of the patient.

“National Heart Institute – Bach Mai Hospital recognises the need to continue investing in technology to help our doctors provide better care for their patients. In this lab built with GE Healthcare and Vinamedical, we focus on not only advanced equipment but also innovative technologies and applications. Some examples are a feature which helps to identify the plane of the ring around a heart valve in Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation or the 3D Live Roadmap application which supports in vascular intervention to assist our cardiologists in handling more complex cases effectively and efficiently, while keeping our patients safe and comfortable,” said associate Prof Dr Pham Manh Hung, director of National Heart Institute – Bach Mai Hospital.

GE Healthcare’s catheterisation lab

“GE Healthcare is privileged to be recognised as a trusted partner of Bach Mai Hospital in improving healthcare outcomes in Vietnam. The two parties have a strong history of collaboration and are glad to be able to continue our contributions towards lowering the incidence of cardiovascular cases and deaths in Vietnam through technology and capability building,” said Son Pham, country leader for GE Healthcare Vietnam.

The installation of the second GE Healthcare catheterisation lab at the facility is a continuation of GE Healthcare’s collaboration with Bach Mai around technology and capability development.

“In this collaboration with the National Heart Institute, we are pleased to offer equipment in cardiovascular disease diagnosis and intervention which would contribute to reducing patient overload and support in capacity development in lower-level hospitals. We also hope to help drive Vietnamese healthcare towards a sustainable future,” said Trinh Anh Tuan, vice president of Vinmedical.

GE Healthcare and National Heart Institute - Bach Mai Hospital have a steady history of collaboration around technology and capability building. In 2015, GE Healthcare and Bach Mai Hospital signed an MoU to introduce an education programme aimed at improving patient connectivity and clinical decisionmaking. The collaboration includes a contribution of patient monitors, used to train Vietnamese clinicians to better utilise such devices to improve patient care, specifically in the Emergency Department and Intensive Care Unit.

National Heart Institute – Bach Mai Hospital has also leveraged GE Healthcare’s global contacts to co-host various medical education seminars with local and international experts in an effort to build capacity and awareness on the latest medical trends globally.

GE Healthcare is the $19 billion healthcare business of GE (NYSE: GE). As a leading provider of medical imaging, monitoring, biomanufacturing, and cell and gene therapy technologies, GE Healthcare enables precision health in diagnostics, therapeutics, and monitoring through intelligent devices, data analytics, applications, and services. With over 100 years of experience in the healthcare industry and more than 50,000 employees globally, the company helps improve outcomes more efficiently for patients, healthcare providers, researchers, and life sciences companies around the world.