New €2m catheterisation labs set to transform cardiology care in Limerick

At the official opening of the new cath labs at UHL were Michelle Rafferty, chief cardiac physiologist; Julie O’Farrell, clinical nurse manager and Dr Syed Abbas Picture: Don Moloney

placeholder image — At the official opening of the new cath labs at UHL were Michelle Rafferty, chief cardiac physiologist; Julie O’Farrell, clinical nurse manager and Dr Syed Abbas Picture: Don Moloney

This creates the capacity for a 54% increase in cardiology procedures per year at UHL

THE new catheterisation laboratories (cath labs) at University Hospital Limerick are driving significant improvements to cardiology services in the region, creating the capacity for a 54% increase in cardiology procedures per year.

The units replace dated existing equipment with two new Azurion 7 x-ray machines. The €2m capital costs were partly met by the HSE, along with a €1.65m contribution raised by the Munster Heart Foundation through donations and a successful grant application to the JP McManus Pro-Am.

New procedures available include renal arterial denervation (RAD) for life-threatening hypertension, currently being trialled, and structural procedures such as cardiac valve replacement.

Ann O’Rourke (73) who lives on the outskirts of Limerick city, was the first patient to undergo RAD in UHL in June 2024, as part of the clinical trial of the procedure being led by consultant cardiologist Dr Cormac O’Connor. More than eight months on, she is enjoying a life free of blood pressure medication.

“I’d never heard of renal arterial denervation before, and I decided to go with it, as I’d been taking the medication since 2018 and had these problems with my legs ever since,” Ann said.

“Afterwards, I had to stay on my medication for three months before I was cleared to stop taking it, and I’ve been off it ever since. It’s fantastic that the procedure is available here. It was a straightforward procedure, with just an overnight in the hospital for observation, and—the top priority for me—it got me off the medication,” she said.

For Pallasgreen resident Marianne Ward, being able to undergo RAD without the necessity of travelling elsewhere in the country has been a life-changing experience.

Marianne (43) is on a complex regimen of medication for other conditions, to which high blood pressure was an added complication. “Honestly, I didn’t realise that I had high blood pressure. I thought I had ‘white coat syndrome’, as it was always very high in the clinic, but obviously, it was very serious.”

Following RAD at UHL in November 2024, Marianne’s high blood pressure had stabilised at the follow-up appointment, and it has remained so ever since.

The new labs also create the capacity for future provision of electrophysiology procedures for complex arrhythmias and other electrical activities of the heart.

Other local breakthroughs include the region’s first implantation of a left-bundle branch area pacemaker by Dr Terry Hennessy and Dr Jawad Zaman. It's a small device implanted in the chest to help the left ventricle of the heart to pump better.

The most modern cath labs in the country, these units have the capacity to provide up to 20 additional cardiology sessions per week, 1,750 more per year than was possible previously.