New digital echocardiography lab in Jersey

30 January 2008

Thanks to a generous grant from the British Heart Foundation and funding from the States of Jersey, work has started this week to equip Jersey General Hospital with a state of the art 3D echocardiography laboratory. The equipment is the first of its type to be installed in the British Isles.

The hospital has purchased a Philips IE33 echocardiography machine and new transoesophageal probe whilst upgrading the current equipment to provide digital images via a new generation of software (Excelera 2). The British Heart Foundation are providing a portable cardiac ultrasound machine (the GE Vivid-I) that will be placed on the intensive care unit so that patients can have rapid assessment of their heart function. Images are stored digitally and can potentially be viewed from anywhere in the hospital.

This technology will transform the way hearts are imaged with clearer more accurate pictures of heart and valve function. Live pictures show the heart beating in 3 dimensions providing additional information on heart function.

The new equipment will allow the development of additional cardiac services in the hospital, that until now required trips to the UK. The additional equipment should also increase capacity in the Jersey Heart and Lung Unit so that waiting times should reduce.

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