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Cardiac Catheterization

Improved Recovery Time

Interventional cardiology focuses on using catheters for diagnosing and treating heart issues. Many heart procedures can be done using a catheter, which often means less pain, shorter hospital stays, and quicker recovery compared to other ways of treating heart problems.

Catheterization

Cardiac catheterization is a medical procedure used to diagnose and treat certain heart conditions. A long, thin, flexible tube called a catheter is put into a blood vessel in your arm, groin (upper thigh), or neck and threaded to your heart. Through the catheter, doctors can perform diagnostic tests and treatments on your heart. Dye is injected from the catheter into blood vessels to make them visible using special x-rays called angiograms. The procedure takes 2-3 hours. Click here to learn more.

  • Right Heart Catheterization
  • Left Heart Catheterization
    • Radial angiography with quicker recovery
  • Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI)
    • Angioplasty
    • Cardiac stenting
  • Peripheral Angiograms
    • Angioplasty
    • Peripheral stenting

Stenting

During an angioplasty, a tiny mesh tube called a stent is often put in the widened area of the artery. This stent helps keep the artery open and reduces the chance of it narrowing again. Stents are made of metal mesh and look like small springs.

Angioplasty

Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) is performed to open blocked coronary arteries caused by coronary artery disease (CAD) and to restore arterial blood flow to the heart tissue without open-heart surgery. A special catheter (long hollow tube) is inserted into the blocked coronary artery. This catheter has a tiny balloon at its tip. The balloon is inflated once the catheter has been placed into the narrowed area of the coronary artery. The inflation of the balloon compresses the fatty tissue in the artery and makes a larger opening inside the artery for improved blood flow.

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