AHN's Allegheny General Hospital Unveils New, State-of-the-Art Cardiac Cath and Electrophysiology Labs, following Completion of $19 Million Renovation Project

New Cardiac Unit Supports Innovative New Procedures, Including Pulsed Field Ablation for Heart Rhythm Disorders

PITTSBURGH, June 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Allegheny Health Network's (AHN) Allegheny General Hospital (AGH) today announced completion of a $19 million renovation and expansion of its cardiac catheterization (cath) and electrophysiology (EP) labs, along with upgraded pre- and post-operative holding rooms and a centralized registration area within the AHN Cardiovascular Institute.

AHN AGH's new facilities mark the latest milestone for the hospital's Mario Lemeiux Center for Heart Rhythm Care, established in 2024 in partnership with the Mario Lemeiux Foundation and Highmark Health.

AHN AGH now currently operates three cath labs, three EP labs, two multiprocedural rooms, and one hybrid surgical suite adaptable for either cardiac cath or EP procedures.

All surgical spaces as well as the patient holding area, registration and clinical administration offices are now located on the same floor within the hospital, creating easier navigation, check-in and general access for clinicians, patients and their families.

"We're excited to unveil this beautiful new space for our nationally recognized cardiac teams to provide innovative care for the thousands of heart patients who come to our program each year from throughout western Pennsylvania and beyond," said Akshay Khandelwal, MD, interventional cardiologist and Chair of AHN Department of Cardiovascular Medicine. "As cardiac medicine advances, these suites allow us to offer more advanced, minimally invasive diagnostic and treatment options while greatly enhancing the overall experience for both patients and clinicians."

Cath labs play a critical role in diagnosing and treating heart disease, including evaluating chest pain, identifying blocked coronary arteries, and performing urgent interventions such as angioplasty and stent placement following a heart attack.

EP labs provide a specialized area in which electrophysiologists diagnose and treat heart rhythm disorders (arrhythmias). The space functions as a high-tech operating room, with sophisticated heart rhythm mapping technologies, intracardiac ultrasound, and minimally invasive techniques to study the heart's electrical system, perform ablation procedures, and implant devices that help treat heart rhythm disorders.

"These advanced EP labs are specially designed to support the next generation of arrhythmia care," said Amit Thosani, MD, cardiac electrophysiologist and director of the Mario Lemieux Center for Heart Rhythm Disorders. "They give us the precision, imaging, and flexibility needed to safely introduce breakthrough technologies like pulsed field ablation and rapidly bring the most effective, minimally invasive treatments to our patients."

AGH recently became one of the first medical institutions in the country to introduce an innovative ablation technique known as pulsed field ablation (PFA) for the treatment of atrial fibrillation (AFib).

AFib, the most common type of heart rhythm disorder, affects millions of people in the United States and around the world.

Traditionally, treatment has relied on ablation procedures in which an electrophysiologist guides a catheter to the heart and uses heat (radiofrequency) or extreme cold (cryoablation) to target tissue responsible for triggering irregular rhythms.

In PFA, rather than using thermal energy, clinicians deliver very brief bursts of high-intensity electrical pulses to precisely target and ablate problematic heart tissue.

"With this new method, patients are experiencing shorter hospital stays, less time under anesthesia and, ultimately, a potential lower risk of complications," said Dr. Thosani.

For more information on the AHN Cardiovascular Institute, visit ahn.org.

About Allegheny Health Network: 
Allegheny Health Network (AHN.org), is an integrated healthcare delivery system serving the greater Western Pennsylvania region. The Network is composed of 14 hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, Health + Wellness Pavilions, multiple employed physician organizations, home and community-based health services, a research institute, and a group purchasing organization. The Network provides patients with access to a complete spectrum of advanced medical services, including nationally recognized programs for primary and emergency care, trauma care, cardiovascular disease, organ transplantation, cancer care, orthopedic surgery, neurology and neurosurgery, women's health, diabetes, autoimmune disease and more. AHN employs approximately 24,000 people, has more than 2,500 physicians on its medical staff and serves as a clinical campus for Drexel University College of Medicine and the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine. 

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SOURCE Allegheny Health Network