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.
