Hospitals in Waterloo Region nearing capacity at cardiac cath labs

Waterloo Region’s cardio cath labs are facing extreme pressure. CTV’s Hannah Schmidt explains why.

The Waterloo Regional Health Network says its cardiac catheterization labs are operating near capacity as demand for heart procedures continue to rise, prompting the need for a third lab.

“We have an agreement with EMS and other referring centers that you bypass the emergency department,” explained program manager Stefanie Cooper. “If you are having an active heart attack, you come directly to the cath lab.”

Hospital officials said the region’s two existing cath labs are handling between 18 and 22 cases per day, their operational ceiling, and performed more than 6,000 procedures in 2025. By 2028, that number is expected to reach 8,500 procedures annually, a 30 per cent increase.

Cardiac catheterization labs are specialized imaging suites where physicians diagnose blocked coronary arteries and, when necessary, perform angioplasty procedures to open arteries and restore blood flow.

“We can take pictures of the arteries around their heart to diagnose any blockages,” Cooper said. “We can do angiograms, which is the diagnostic test that we do for cardiac disease. We can do angioplasty, which once we discover there’s coronary artery disease, we can go in and place stents.”

The hospital serves an area including 1.4 million people, about 10 per cent of Ontario’s population, stretching from Lion’s Head to Simcoe. Officials said demographic pressures are contributing to the increase in demand, with hospital use among older adults expected to rise significantly over the next two decades.

“We are almost at full capacity every day,” Cooper said. “That is the most that we could do, with the time allotted.”

In response, the province has approved funding for a third cath lab, a multi-million dollar expansion expected to open in 2027. While provincial funding will cover construction and infrastructure costs, hospital officials said community fundraising will be required to purchase specialized medical imaging equipment.

The expansion is intended to help maintain timely access to life-saving care, particularly for patients experiencing ST-elevation myocardial infarctions, or STEMIs — a severe type of heart attack that requires immediate intervention.

For Nico Giorgio, a former patient and now current member of the Waterloo Regional Health Network Foundation team, it’s an expansion he supports.

In 2020, what felt like an off day for Giorgio turned out to be a dangerous situation — a blockage often called a widowmaker.

“They found a blockage that they were able to put a stent in and open it up and it was all good,” Giorgio explained. “I was just thinking how lucky I am to have this right in my own backyard.”

As a result of the quick diagnosis, Giorgio avoided a heart attack.

“Over the last five years, I got to see my kids graduate from high school and, shortly from university,” he said.

Now he’s helping raise funds for the same technology that saved his life.

“Seeing the dedicated people, how hard they work, how great they work as a team. The hospital that I got to see, really inspired me to want to be a part of it.”

Back in the lab, the urgency remains clear.

“’Time is muscle’ is what we say in cardiac,” Cooper said. “We want to make sure that we get you in as soon as possible to restore flow to the rest of the heart.”

The network is reviewing plans and funding options, but no concrete construction timeline has been announced.