World’s first ‘ambient experience’ cardiology suite opens at Catharina Hospital in Eindhoven, the Netherlands

The Catharina Hospital in Eindhoven, the Netherlands and Philips today opened the world’s first Ambient Experience Catheterisation Lab (CathLab).

The ambient experience design concept aims to improve the workflow of physicians considerably and reduce anxiety of heart patients undergoing catheterisation. Initial tests show that the ambient experience design concept is leading to faster diagnoses, lower radiation doses and calmer patients.

In a hospital CathLab, doctors insert a thin, flexible tube or catheter in a heart patient’s blood vessel to allow access to the heart or blood vessels without major surgery. With the help of X-ray imaging, doctors can then examine and diagnose the patients’ blood vessels and/or heart.

The ambient experience CathLab has been designed around the catheterisation procedure to support medical staff and soothe patients during preparation, examination and post procedure.

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