UnityPoint Health – St. Luke’s Hospital has wrapped up a three-year, $25 million expansion of its Heart & Vascular Center, a project the Cedar Rapids hospital says will significantly broaden access to specialized cardiac and vascular care across Eastern Iowa.
According to a news release, the final phase centered on a new hybrid operating room, giving St. Luke’s added capacity to perform complex cardiovascular procedures as demand for that care continues to grow.
A hybrid OR blends a heart catheterization lab with a traditional operating room. The new space will be used for catheter-based procedures St. Luke’s physicians were first to bring to Cedar Rapids, including transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), transcarotid artery revascularization (TCAR) and mitral valve repair with MitraClip. Those minimally invasive procedures typically mean faster recoveries and shorter hospital stays for patients.
The room also features advanced imaging technology designed to reduce radiation exposure. It’s built to accommodate the larger care teams that complex cardiovascular cases require, and it can convert quickly to an open-surgery setup if a patient’s procedure demands it.
St. Luke’s rolled out the expansion in three phases over three years. The first, completed in 2023, added two electrophysiology labs and grew the hospital’s specialist team, more than doubling its capacity to treat heart rhythm disorders. The second phase, finished in 2025, brought a new Vascular and Interventional Radiology department online with two fully operational labs and room for a third — space where physicians handle advanced imaging, biopsies, aneurysm repairs and procedures to restore blood flow in blocked arteries.
With the hybrid OR now open, hospital officials say the completed project reflects St. Luke’s ongoing investment in specialized heart and vascular services as it positions itself as Cedar Rapids’ Heart Hospital.
