A new facility to care for patients undergoing interventional radiology (IR) procedures has opened at St George’s Hospital.

The new unit will open to patients from today (Monday, 17 May), and provides the Trust with a dedicated space for day case and inpatients before and after their IR procedures.

The facility has six separate bays, and will improve care for the thousands of patients who undergo interventional radiology procedures at the Trust every year, both as day case and as inpatients.

Dr Robert Morgan, Consultant Interventional Radiologist and Clinical Director for Diagnostics at the Trust, said:

“This is a really great addition to our facilities in the interventional radiology department. The facility will be able to accommodate as many as six patients at any one time – and it provides a much better environment for patients about to undergo a procedure, and more importantly, a modern, state of the art facility in which they can recover. This is an exciting development for both staff and patients.”

Interventional radiology involves radiologists using minimally invasive imaging procedures to diagnose and treat a wide range of diseases.

The interventional radiology team at the Trust carry out the full range of IR procedures – including planned procedures, such as liver biopsies and dialysis interventions. They also carry out emergency procedures, such as stopping bleeding from the gut or unblocking obstructed bile ducts or kidneys.