Mater Dei Hospital’s sophisticated catheterisation laboratory (cath lab) yesterday became a reference site for Philips Healthcare, the largest cardiology device maker in the world.

By way of an agreement signed yesterday, Philips will invest e100,000 in new apparatus for the cath lab and to upgrade existing software. The agreement terminates after one year, but may be renewed.

Mater Dei cardiology services chairman Professor Albert Fenech told this newspaper following the signing of the agreement yesterday, that Philips was impressed with Mater Dei’s cath lab.

“Philips was impressed with the way we work, the throughput and the quality of our work. They will be using the cath lab as a showcase for regular site visits to potential Philips customers.

“Time is of the essence in the treatment of heart attacks, and the latest software is absolutely necessary in this regard,” said Prof. Fenech.

Parliamentary secretary for health Joe Cassar said the agreement provides for ongoing training of local and foreign medical staff, as well as research and assessment of new technology as it is developed.

Philips has come up with simplified cardiac care solutions that help clear the path from the onset of the attack to the time when the artery is opened.

A recent study revealed that for the most serious form of heart attack, known as ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI), timely administration of emergency angioplasty affected a person’s chance of surviving.

Overall the researchers concluded that every 30-minute delay in giving emergency angioplasty caused the risk of a patient dying to rise by 7.5 per cent.

As a result, the American College of Cardiology, in partnership with the American Heart Association and others around the world, launched the “Door to Balloon” (D2B) campaign, aimed at reducing the elapsed time from the arrival of the victim at the hospital to angioplasty to 90 minutes or less.

As the doctors and hospitals can only control the process once the patient arrives at their door, it is critical that the emergency department shortens the time from arrival at their doors to the time of treatment.

Philips came up with the “Discovery to Treatment” solution, a combination of products that can help clinicians meet the 90-minute D2B target and is so complete that it covers ambulance services, primary care centres and even the cath lab.