Cardiac Cath Lab

Carle Has the Most Advanced Cath Lab Equipment
Carle’s Cath Lab has acquired a new piece of equipment that makes identifying blocked arteries and other heart problems easier and more precise. The equipment, which has been in use since November 2001, is a digital cardiovascular imaging system, known as the GE Innova 2000. The Innova ensures better patient care because it can be used on more patients, is more accurate, and the information is easier to store and access. Carle is one of only three places in Illinois that has this state-of-the-art, fully digital cardiovascular imaging system.

How is GE Innova Different?
The Innova 2000 converts x-ray signals into digital images at the point of acquisition. As a result, the resolution of the images is twice as clear as with older technology. This means images are more accurate, with few distortions. Distortions can be falsely read as blockages or can sometimes cause blocked areas to be missed because the image is not clear. The exceptional clarity of Innova imaging also makes inserting stents and doing other procedures much easier and more accurate. The Innova also drastically reduces the amount of x-ray radiation both patients and technicians are exposed to, making it a safer procedure.

Because the information from Innova 2000 is digital, it can be stored compactly and indefinitely and can be searched easily. In addition, patients can have a compact disc made of their tests, enabling them to take that information with them if they travel or move.

More Patients Can Benefit
The Innova is especially useful for a particular at-risk population. Traditional cardiovascular x-ray catheterization machines cannot be used for people who weigh more than 325 pounds, because the x-rays cannot travel through so much mass. With the Innova 2000, patients up to 450 pounds can undergo the procedure.

The Carle Heart Center 's 3 cath labs are used for more than 2,200 catheterization procedures each year at Carle.

Cardiac (Heart) Catheterization
The purpose of a cardiac catheterization is to locate any clogged or narrowed places in the coronary arteries and to 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.

Transradial Approach
Advances in technology have allowed heart catheterizations to be performed through an artery in the wrist (transradial approach) instead of the groin. The transradial approach offers many advantages to the patient including faster recovery and early ambulation, a decreased risk for bleeding after the procedure, and early discharge. Carle was one of the first hospitals in Illinois to offer this new method of catheterization.

Angioplasty
Angioplasty is a procedure used to open an artery that is not providing enough blood supply to the heart muscle due to a narrowing or blockage. During this procedure, a balloon on the tip of a catheter is passed over a wire and across the area of blockage. The cardiologist will first insert the catheter into an artery in the groin or wrist and with the use of x-ray to track the catheter’s movement, will guide the balloon to the area of the artery that is blocked. Once in place, the balloon will be inflated and deflated several times until the plaque is broken up and pressed against the walls of the artery. This reduces the blockage and improves the blood supply to the heart muscle.

Laser Angioplasty
The Carle Heart Center is one of very few centers to provide treatment of coronary artery disease with an excimer laser. The laser catheter was developed for use in patients with coronary atherosclerosis or blockages that cannot be effectively treated with other interventional procedures. The laser is used to "vaporize" plaque that has been deposited in arteries of the heart.