Cardiac catheterization is a method doctors use to perform tests and procedures that are available to diagnose and treat coronary artery disease. The cardiac catheterization procedure involves threading a long, thin tube, called a catheter, through an artery or vein in the leg or arm and into the heart.
Our Heart Center is known for outstanding performance in treating a specific heart attack known as ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI).
STEMIs are caused by a sudden blockage in a coronary artery and recent studies have indicated that rapid cardiac intervention is the most effective treatment for saving the heart muscle. In the Cath Lab these blockages may be opened by using a balloon catheter and/or implanted stent.
"Door-to-balloon" time is the measurement of time starting when a patient is diagnosed with a STEMI in the ambulance or the ER, to the time when the blockage in the coronary artery causing the STEMI is opened with a balloon angioplasty, or a stent in the Cath Lab. Every minute counts when heart muscle is involved.
Routine procedures in our Cath Lab are scheduled weekdays, from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., by your physician's office staff. Emergency cardiac diagnostic, interventional, and therapeutic procedures are available at all times.
There are several types of catheters that are used in these procedures:
- Balloon Angioplasty
- Stent
- Rotoblation
- Cutting Balloon
- Pacemaker
- Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD)
An interventional procedure starts out in the same way as a diagnostic cardiac catheterization. The catheter will be selectively passed into the artery with the blockage, and the doctor will perform the interventional procedure to open the blocked artery. The procedure usually lasts about 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 hours, but the preparation and recovery time add several hours. An overnight stay is sometimes required.
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Balloon Angioplasty Balloon is inflated to compress fatty plaque |
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Stent A stent is a small stainless steel mesh tube that acts as a scaffold to provide support inside your coronary artery |
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Rotoblation Tip spins at high speeds to grind away blockage |
A pacemaker can pace the heart's upper chambers (the atria), the lower chambers (the ventricles), or both chambers at times. Pacemakers may also be used to prevent the heart from going into fast, irregular rhythms.
A pacemaker is about the size of a small matchbox. The pacemaker "can" or container has two parts inside:
- A pulse generator, which includes the battery and several electronic circuits.
- Wires, called leads, which are attached to the heart wall. Depending on the type of pacemaker you need, there may be one or two leads.
The pacemaker is implanted under the skin and fatty tissue near the collarbone. If only one lead is needed, it is placed in the lower-right chamber (the right ventricle). If two leads are needed, the other lead is placed in the upper-right chamber (the right atrium). The leads are then attached to the pacemaker (pulse generator).
Once the pacemaker is implanted, the leads carry signals back from the heart. The pulse generator "reads" these signals. When the heart rate is too slow, it sends an impulse to the heart to help beat in a regular rhythm.
It is used in patients at risk for:
- Ventricular tachycardia (when the lower chambers of the heart independently beat faster than 100 beats per minute)
- Ventricular fibrillation (when the muscle fibers of the lower chambers of the heart contract in a fast, uncoordinated manner)
- Sudden cardiac death caused by arrhythmias
A defibrillator is made up of two parts:
- A pulse generator, which includes the battery and several electronic circuits
- Wires, called leads that are attached to the heart wall. Depending on the type of ICD, you may have one to three leads.
The defibrillator is implanted beneath the skin, near the collarbone. The leads are placed inside the heart or on its surface and are attached to the defibrillator.
Once the ICD is implanted, the leads monitor the heart rate. If the ICD detects ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation, it sends out a controlled burst of impulses (called "overdrive" pacing). If this does not work, the ICD "shocks" the heart to restore a normal rhythm. ICDs are very effective in preventing sudden deaths and can be implanted with a low rate of complications.
