UNS — Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS) Hospital Surakarta celebrated its 7th anniversary on August 10, 2023, by introducing two new services: cardiac catheterization and arrhythmia care.
The Director of UNS Hospital, Prof. Dr. Hartono, dr., M.Sc., stated that these two new services complement the hospital’s existing flagship services, including cardiovascular imaging, which is currently the number one in Central Java in terms of the number of heart CT scans performed daily. Additionally, the Sebelas Maret Heart Failure Clinic, the first heart failure clinic in Central Java.
Patients previously diagnosed with coronary heart disease through coronary CT scans can now find solutions such as cardiac catheterization and stent placement, as well as other peripheral vascular interventions. Establishing a diagnosis through CT scans for these patients has been shown in various clinical studies to reduce healthcare costs for those with coronary heart disease. This strategy aims to decrease unnecessary referrals for invasive cardiac catheterization procedures, which are costly, thus reducing overall healthcare expenses.
Furthermore, for patients experiencing heart attacks, immediete stent placement can be performed to reduce complications and future treatment costs.
The cardiac catheterization laboratory further solidifies the position of UNS Hospital as a heart failure center in Central Java and Yogyakarta, offering heart biopsies (collecting tissue samples for histopathological examination), a procedure rarely performed in Indonesia. Additionally, right heart catheterization for monitoring progressive heart failure using advanced techniques is also available. The lab also offers non-coronary peripheral vascular catheterization services, including large vessels (aorta), carotid arteries (carotis), and upper/lower extremity interventions, covered by the national health insurance (BPJS Kesehatan).
Another prominent service at UNS Hospital is arrhythmia care. Arrhythmias are heart rhythm disorders that can lead to disabilities, strokes, and sudden cardiac arrest, which is quite common. Currently, arrhythmia services are only available in Semarang and Yogyakarta, which will increase the economic burden on patients due to the additional high costs of transportation and accommodation for referrals.
This new service will be the only arrhythmia service in Solo Raya, headed by a specialist in cardiology and vascular subspecialties. It aims to alleviate the financial burden of healthcare for the Solo Raya society by offering comprehensive care, ranging from diagnosing through electrocardiography (EKG) recording over 48 hours, electrophysiological studies to detect complex arrhythmias, to advanced management of arrhythmia cases and heart failure, including pacemaker implantation, intracardiac defibrillator (ICD) insertion, cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT), and radiofrequency ablation for arrhythmic focus.
“Introduction of these two services aims to provide solutions to the high prevalence of cardiovascular disease in the community,” Prof. Hartono explained during the 7th Anniversary celebration at the UNS Hospital Auditorium, 2nd Floor, MERC Building, Thursday (10/8/2023).
In the future, UNS Hospital will continue to strive to expand its services and enhance their quality, including plans to introduce neurology and nerve intervention services for stroke and cerebrovascular disorders. Additionally, the hospital aims to broaden its interventional radiology services to address broader healthcare issues in the Solo Raya region. Currently, neurology intervention services can be conducted at the Cath Lab UNS Hospital with non-national health insurance (non-JKN) financing.
Although officially grand launching now, the Cath Lab at UNS Hospital has been soft-launched and operational since 22 August 2022. “Starting June 15, 2023, the Catheterization Laboratory (Cath Lab) of UNS Hospital can perform diagnostic and treatment procedures for coronary and arrhythmia cases for National Health Insurance (JKN) patients. The arrhythmia cases at Cath Lab Service are the first and only ones in Solo Raya, in collaboration with the National Health Insurance (BPJS Kesehatan). Besides JKN, Cath Lab UNS Hospital also accommodates patients with various types of financing, such as private health insurance or self-payment,” Prof. Hartono said.
During the 7th Anniversary celebration, the Rector of UNS, Prof. Dr. Jamal Wiwoho, S.H., M.Hum., Chairman of the UNS Professor Council, Prof. Drs. Suranto Tjiptowibisono, M.Sc., Ph.D., Acting Vice Rector for General Affairs and Human Resources of UNS, Dr. E. Muhtar, S.Pd., M.Sc., and deans within UNS attended the event. HUMAS UNS
