Interventional Services

Interventional procedures are high technology, non-surgical treatments used for accurate diagnosis of heart disease and to improve blood flow to the heart.

Alcohol Ablation is used to treat abnormal heart rhythms, or arrhythmias. The doctor will insert a thin, tube (catheter) into the heart. A special machine delivers energy through the catheter to tiny areas of the heart. This energy “disconnects” the pathway of the abnormal heart rhythm. Ablation re-establishes a normal heart rhythm in people with certain arrhythmias and can help control the heart rate in people with rapid arrhythmias as well as reduce the risk of blood clots and strokes.

ASD/PFO/PDA Closure is a corrective procedure where a device is inserted in the “hole” on the walls between the different chambers of the heart where blood is escaping instead of flowing through its normal route. The closure device is delivered through a small hole in your groin by a thin tube (catheter).

Atherectomy(Rotational & Directional) is a procedure used to cut away the blockage (plaque) responsible for narrowing in the artery. Atherectomy techniques:

• Directional Atherectomy uses a long, thin tube (catheter) with a sharp blade on the end to remove plaque from the artery. The blade shaves the plaque and stores it in a collection chamber. The plaque is removed from the artery when the device is removed.
• Rotational Atherectomy uses a special long, thin tube (catheter) with a diamond-coated tip. The tip spins at a high speed and grinds away the plaque on the artery walls. The small particles are washed safely away in your bloodstream and filtered out by your liver and spleen.

Atrial Fibrillation/Flutter Ablations is a procedure that locates and cuts off the abnormal electrical pathway in your heart that is causing your heart rhythm to quiver (a common irregular heart rhythm problem) and produce blood clots.

Bi-Ventricular Resynchronization Implantation is a procedure where pace leads are implanted in both pumping chambers of your heart to “re-synchronize or re-time” so both chambers pump at the same time. This helps move blood through the heart and more efficiently delivers blood to the organs of the body.

Coronary Angioplasty, Balloon Angioplasty or Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty (PTCA) opens narrowed arteries. A long, thin tube (catheter) with a small balloon on its tip is used. The balloon is inflated at the site of the blockage in the artery to flatten, or compress, the plaque against the artery wall. In many cases, balloon angioplasty is performed in combination with a coronary stenting or stent placement procedure.

Coronary Stenting or Stent Placement uses a small, mesh, metal tube (stent) that is placed inside the artery. It acts as support to keep the artery open and improve blood flow to the heart, and it reduces chest pain (angina). The stent is placed after an artery is cleared of blockage (Coronary angioplasty or Balloon angioplasty). It becomes a permanent part of your artery.

Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) is a device that sends an electric current through the heart. It is for people who have an abnormal, fast heart rate that may cause fainting or their heart to stop pumping properly. When medicines do not work, an ICD Implantation is done. It is implanted beneath the skin and is about the size of a small cell phone.

Interventional Cardiac Catheterization is a treatment used to open narrowed coronary arteries to improve blood flow to the heart. It can be performed during a diagnostic cardiac catheterization when a blockage is identified or it may be done after testing has confirmed there is coronary artery disease. Once the catheter is in place one of these interventional procedures may be performed to open the artery: Coronary Angioplasty or Balloon Angioplasty, Coronary Stenting or Stent Placement, or Directional Atherectomy and Rotational Atherectomy.

Mitral Valve Clipping is the latest available technology used to correct, or reduce, a severe “leaking” mitral valve. A “clip,” like a paper staple, is used to fuse the mitral valve leaflets to reduce the valve opening allowing the blood to flow through the left atrium to the left ventricle. Patients do not have to have an open-chest surgical procedure to get this done.

Permanent Pacemaker Implantation is the surgical procedure of placing a permanent pacemaker into the chest through a small incision. The pacemaker is attached to the heart through a wire that is threaded through a neck vein. A pacemaker is a small, battery-powered device that sends out weak electrical impulses that cause the heart muscle to contract. It replaces the function of the natural pacemaker of the heart when the heart is beating too slowly.

Radio Frequency Ablation is used to cut the abnormal electrical pathways in your heart by using “heat” transferred through the tip of a specialized thin tube (catheter) guided by either X-ray imaging or 3-D mapping.

Rheolytic Thrombectomy is a procedure for clot removal in the artery. A special pump delivers saline at a high pressure through a long, thin tube (catheter). The pump creates a vacuum and breaks the clot into pieces. The pieces are then suctioned out of the artery. This procedure is used when there are many clots as in the case of a heart attack.

Valvuloplasty is a procedure in which a small balloon is inserted and inflated to stretch and open a narrowed heart valve to facilitate the flow of blood through the valve. Valvuloplasty is some times done before heart surgery can be scheduled. In some patients it works for a long period of time with the result that open heart surgery is not needed.