Taranaki Base Hospital Celebrates Angiograph Image Milestone

Taranaki Base Hospital has reached a milestone of taking 6000 angiograph images since 2004 with former Base Hospital nurse Sharyn Guthrie the 6000th patient to have the diagnostic test completed locally.

The ability to complete up to eight patient angiograms a week means the hospital’s cardiology team are meeting Health New Zealand’s wait-time guidelines for angiograms, says Taranaki cardiologist, Ian Ternouth.

“While we may still need to refer patients to Waikato following an angiogram for further treatment such as to insert stents, completing the diagnostic test in Taranaki speeds up the process a great deal,” says Ternouth.

Being able to undergo this initial diagnostic step locally, with support from family and community, means a great deal to patients already facing uncertainty and worry.

“Having the initial angiogram here means the local cardiology team can do the preliminary tests in Taranaki for patients needing valve or other cardiac surgery. “

“Thanks to the community fundraising support through the Taranaki Health Foundation nearly a decade ago, it has proven far more convenient for 6000 patients to have our own angiogram machine here saving time traveling to Waikato Hospital and back.”

Heart disease remains one of New Zealand’s leading causes of death for men and women. Coronary angiography is a medical imaging technique used to visualize the inside of blood vessels and organs of the body, with particular interest in the heart chambers and vessels.

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