Over a thousand patients treated in the hemodynamic cardiology unit

Hospital General of Fuerteventura nearly doubles activity in this unit in 2025

The Hemodynamics Unit of the Hospital General of Fuerteventura, a centre attached to the Canary Islands Health Department, performed a total of 1,011 procedures in 2025, compared with 544 in 2024 – an 85.8 % increase in its clinical activity.

The growth stems from an expanded service portfolio, the introduction of new diagnostic and therapeutic techniques, and the reinforcement of the professional team, all aimed at providing more comprehensive care to the island’s cardiac patients and reducing referrals to other centres.

New Techniques and Procedures

• Coronary functional assessment using IVUS (intravascular coronary ultrasound).
• Invasive evaluation of functional reserve and ischemia via intracoronary pressure wires.
• Cardiac pacing and defibrillation: implantation of physiologically‑stimulated pacemakers and implantable cardioverter‑defibrillators (ICDs) rose from 41 procedures in 2024 to 97 in 2025, a 136.6 % increase.
• Emergency response: the team handled more than 150 CODICAN (code infarct) activations, cementing its role as a strategic resource for acute coronary syndrome on the island.
• PICC catheters: 69 peripherally inserted central catheters were placed for long‑term therapies (chemotherapy, antibiotics, parenteral nutrition) and for measuring central venous pressure, ensuring safe and durable vascular access.
• Additional innovations include Holter monitor implantation, transthoracic echocardiography, and pharmacological tests for arrhythmia study, reflecting a broader diagnostic and follow‑up capacity.

Patient Profile

• Gender distribution: 68.4 % male, 31.6 % female – consistent with the prevalence of cardiovascular disease in this type of unit.

• Age groups (percentage of total procedures):

  • 65‑69 years: 15.5 % (largest single group)
  • 60‑64 years: 15.4 %
  • 70‑74 years: 14.8 %
  • 75‑79 years: 13 %
  • Over 80 years: 11.7 %
  • Under 50 years: 10.3 %
  • 50‑54 years: 10.7 %
  • 55‑59 years: 8.8 %

Nearly half of all procedures involved patients aged 60 to 74, underscoring the unit’s crucial role in serving an increasingly elderly population.

About the Hemodynamics Unit

• Inaugurated: November 2023
• Facility size: over 400 m²
• Equipment investment: €610,663

After just over two years of operation, the unit’s activity marks a qualitative leap in the island’s healthcare provision, allowing the majority of interventions to be performed at the Hospital General of Fuerteventura and avoiding transfers to the reference hospital in Gran Canaria.