Dr Colin Hutchison and Dr Bob Gerber in the operating room during the opening of the G&H Cardiovascular centre on the Kaweka Hospital campus in Hastings. Photo / Warren Buckland
Dr Colin Hutchison and Dr Bob Gerber in the operating room during the opening of the G&H Cardiovascular centre on the Kaweka Hospital campus in Hastings. Photo / Warren Buckland
The region’s first stent procedure could take place this week at a new private cardiovascular clinic opened in Hastings which will be a game changer for Hawke’s Bay residents needing heart operations.
Dr Bob Gerber and Dr Colin Hutchison, also Kaweka Hospital’s managing director, lead G&H Cardiovascular based on the Kaweka Hospital campus on Canning Rd.
“Our aim is to improve the cardiovascular health of our communities through timely access to world-class cardiovascular care in Hawke’s Bay,” a statement from the doctors said.
The new cardiovascular facilities have been set up as only a private clinic at this stage, but a spokesperson for the clinic indicated public procedures may eventually be performed there.
Six successful pacemaker procedures have already been in Kaweka Hospital’s surgical facilities, and they will now take place at the new facility.
80-year-old Tricia Hirsch, Gerber’s first pacemaker patient in Hawke’s Bay, said she was in a “do or die” situation, requiring major bowel surgery which was at risk of not going ahead due to a very low heart rate.
“I was ready for the bowel surgery but I was told that I couldn’t undergo this due to issues with my heart. I was struggling with getting my breath and my heart was just 40 beats a minute,” she said.
“The pacemaker is now set at 60 beats a minute and I was back walking within a few days. It is amazing.”
The clinic building, shared with TRG Imaging, is based on the Kaweka Hospital campus and is equipped with the region’s first high-performance x-ray technology to help quickly diagnose and treat heart problems. Photo / Warren Buckland
The clinic is equipped with the region’s first high-performance x-ray technology to help quickly diagnose and treat heart problems and will provide other services.
Hutchison said the clinic, shared with TRG Imaging, is a temporary solution to meet current needs while awaiting the completion of the second stage of Kaweka Hospital, which is set to open in mid-2025.
Gerber is an expert in the field of intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) guided stent implantation and is also trained in implanting pacemakers and implantable cardio-defibrillators (ICDs) as well as coronary stents.
He is supported by a specialist team including fellow cardiologists, nurses, a nurse practitioner, cardiac sonographers, cardiac technicians and operational manager Laura Ledger.
“We know that the sooner heart procedures are done, the better it is for you getting back on your feet and back enjoying life,” Gerber said.
