Interventional Cardiology

Interventional cardiology diagnoses and treats heart and blood vessel conditions using minimally invasive techniques. These procedures are performed using narrow, flexible tubes (catheters) and advanced instruments that are guided through your blood vessels to the problem area. Then the problem is repaired from inside the vessel or heart.

How is interventional cardiology performed?

The skilled interventional cardiologists at Lorven Heart and Vascular Institute, LLC, begin by making a pinhole-size opening in a blood vessel in your groin, wrist, or another body area.

They insert a fiber optic catheter through the opening and use real-time X-ray imaging (fluoroscopy) to guide the catheter and specialized instruments through your blood vessels to your heart. 

The fiber optic device sends magnified images of the tissues to a monitor, allowing your provider to diagnose and repair problems.

What heart conditions are treated with interventional cardiology?

Lorven Heart and Vascular Institute, LLC, offers comprehensive care for cardiovascular diseases. Heart conditions frequently treated with interventional techniques include:

• Coronary artery disease (clogged arteries)
• Heart failure
• Heart valve disease
• Carotid artery disease
• Cardiomyopathy (heart muscle disease)
• Atrial fibrillation and other arrhythmias (irregular, slow, and fast heartbeats)
• Angina (chest pain caused by blocked arteries)

Interventional cardiologists also treat congenital heart disease.

What procedures are done through interventional cardiology?

Interventional cardiology includes many procedures, so these are just four examples of the most common:

Coronary angioplasty and stenting

After guiding a catheter to the blocked coronary artery, your provider inflates a balloon, pushing the fatty plaque against the artery wall and restoring circulation. They remove the balloon, but a metal mesh stent deployed by the balloon stays in the artery, holding it open.

Aortic valve repair and replacement

The aortic valve is one of four valves that control blood flow through your heart. When the valve weakens or hardens and stops working, your provider repairs or replaces it by using a catheter guided into your heart.

Pacemaker implantation

After using a catheter to guide a wireless pacemaker into your heart, your provider attaches the device to the heart muscle.

Diagnostic cardiac catheterization

Your provider uses a catheter to perform ultrasound imaging from inside the artery or inject contrast dye into the coronary arteries. The dye highlights certain problems, making them easier to see on fluoroscopy.

Call Lorven Heart and Vascular Institute, LLC, or request an appointment online to learn more about interventional cardiology.