Interventional Cardiology

Interventional cardiology performs diagnostic and treatment procedures for patients with heart disease and other heart illnesses including heart attacks, coronary artery disease, blocked arteries, congestive heart failure, valve disease, congenital heart defects, cardiomyopathy, and peripheral vascular disease.

The Heart Center includes a Catheterization Lab (Cath Lab) where diagnostic procedures help physicians locate clogged or narrowed places in the coronary arteries and determine how well the heart muscle and valves function. During a cardiac catheterization, a thin, flexible tube called a catheter is inserted into an artery in a numbed area of the arm or groin. Dye is then injected through the catheter into the coronary arteries and the left ventricle—the main pumping chamber of the heart. With the help of specialized x-ray equipment, the cardiologist can visualize the dye in the arteries on a television screen at the same time a continuous 35mm film is being recorded.

Treatment procedures can often be performed at the same time as the diagnostic procedure.  Common treatments performed in the Cath Lab include angioplasties, laser angioplasties, Rotoblator procedures, stent placements, drug-eluting stent placements and EP treatments.