How Many Monitors Come with a Cath Lab?

Setting up a cath lab with all the right options for your specialty, your workflow, and your physicians' preferences comes with a lot of questions. Among those we're asked most often: How many monitors come with a cath lab system?

The answer to that question isn't 100% cut-and-dry, but we can help you know what to expect as you begin shopping. Keep reading to learn more about monitor options for your next cath lab system.

How Many Monitors?

Typically, cath labs come with just 2 monitors included on the monitor suspension arm: a live monitor, and a reference monitor. Seems like an easy enough answer, right?

It is, but there's another question that logically follows: Why are there spaces on the suspension for more monitors? This is a great question, and one that also has a fairly straightforward answer.

The extra positions on the monitor suspension are for, you guessed it, extra monitors! Okay, that’s a bit of an over-simplification, so let us explain. In the cath lab, more than any other modality, peripheral systems are used to help treat the patient. Depending on what these systems are and how many you have, it may be preferable to add one, two, or even six more monitors onto your suspension.

Examples of Added Monitors

Here are some examples of monitors that users often add: 

Most cath labs use a hemodynamic monitoring system such as a GE MacLab during studies. There is often a monitor on the suspension that displays the patient's physio data in real time so the staff has immediate feedback from the MacLab.

If you’re in a lab that performs 3D studies, there is a good chance the cath lab itself is unable to reconstruct the raw data acquired during a study. In this case, a reconstruction workstation such as a GE Advantage Windows Workstation (AWW) is needed to reconstruct the images. When a reconstruction workstation is in use, one of the monitor slots on the suspension can be dedicated to displaying reconstructed image data.

Other possibilities include a display for ultrasound images via IVUS or roving catheters used in cardiac mapping. 

The Takeaway

When a site orders a new cath lab from the manufacturer the number of spaces available on the monitor suspension can be selected. If you plan to purchase your lab on the secondary market, be sure to talk to your provider early on about how many monitor spaces you'll need so they can accommodate. For single-plane labs, suspension systems are available with two to six monitor spaces. Suspensions for up to eight monitors are available for biplane systems.

If you have additional questions about monitors or monitor suspensions, are in need of a cath lab, or need some peripheral equipment to help fill out your monitor suspension, call or email us today