Cardiac Catheterization

Cardiac Catheterization is a diagnostic procedure in which narrow flexible tubes called “catheters” are placed into the arteries of the heart. From this point, the Physician can manipulate the “catheter” into each of the two (2) main arteries of the heart. Using this technique, the Physician will inject contrast through the catheter, and at that time is able to visualize the flow of blood in the arteries in the heart.

Balloon Angioplasty

 Balloon Angioplasty is an interventional procedure to open arteries that are blocked using a balloon. To achieve this, the Physician uses a long metal wire to navigate through the blockage in the artery. Then, after passing the wire, the Physician will track a balloon catheter along the wire to the blockage. After the Physician places the balloon in the correct position, he inflates the balloon thereby opening the blocked artery. The balloon is then removed from the artery.

Coronary Stent Placement

Most often when a Physician finds a blockage in an artery, they will elect to use a stent to open the blockage. A stent is an expandable wire mesh-type tube that is mounted onto a balloon. As with Balloon Angioplasty, the Physician will pass a wire through the blockage in the artery and then track the stent, which is mounted on the balloon, over the wire and position it through the blockage. The balloon is inflated opening the stent, then only the balloon is deflated. The balloon is then removed, but the stent stays in the artery forever to keep the artery from closing back up.

Coronary Atherectomy

This procedure is used when the Physician can’t use conventional balloons or stents to open a blockage. There are two main types of Coronary Atherectomies, Laser and Rotoblator. The Laser uses a cool-tip Excimer laser pulse to literally vaporize the plaque or calcium in the artery causing the blockage. The Rotoblator uses a special diamond-tipped “burr” to actually drill out the plaque and calcium causing the blockage.

 
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