Heart disease remains the nation's leading killer of men and women. As a result, the demand for high-quality cardiac services is rising along with the growing population in southwest Las Vegas.

To enhance the level of cardiac care available to local residents, Spring Valley Hospital Medical Center will open a new cardiac catheterization lab in 2005.

"We can perform most cardiac procedures in the hospital's multifunctional angiography suite," says Robert Morse, DO, FACC, a cardiologist at Spring Valley Hospital Medical Center. "But the new cath lab will be equipped with advanced diagnostic and imaging technology that will be dedicated to cardiac care. So we'll be able to perform comprehensive tests to diagnose a patient's condition, and in most cases, we'll be able to manage his or her disease right here in the neighborhood.

"The long-term goal of the Cardiology Department at Spring Valley Hospital is to offer comprehensive diagnostic and therapeutic cardiac services on site."

These services are available at Spring Valley Hospital:

• Coronary angiographies to evaluate the arteries, locate blockages and diagnose heart disease
• Invasive tests to evaluate ventricular function
• Pressure evaluations to assess the function of the heart valves
• Pacemaker implants to correct heart rhythm abnormalities

Doctors also will be able to use interventional angioplasty techniques, balloons and stents to open blockages for patients who are suffering a heart attack or facing a cardiac crisis.

Currently, interventional cardiac services are offered only in emergency, nonelective situations. Long-term plans for the new cath lab include development of an elective interventional program for low-risk cardiac interventions, which don't require on-site surgical backup.

The Valley Health System c/o Valley Hospital Medical Center 620 Shadow Lane Las Vegas, NV 89106