Cardiac Catheterization Lab
 Diagnostic and interventional coronary and peripheral arterial procedures are performed in Cardiac Catheterization Labs.
The Cath Lab team consists of board-certified cardiologists, specialty trained nurses and radiologic technicians. The same staff members care for patients before and during a procedure. The staff is committed to working cooperatively with the patient and the family to provide individualized care.
- Diagnostic procedures are used to assess and diagnose patients for disease.
- Balloon angioplasty, stent placement and other devices are designed to treat disease.
- Peripheral vascular interventional procedures are used to evaluate and treat diseased blood vessels outside the heart.
During an emergency outside the hospital, interventional cardiologists work closely with a team of highly trained staff and local EMS personnel to ensure rapid response protocols are followed. When a heart attack is identified by EMS personnel prior to hospital arrival, the patient can be taken directly to the Cardiac Cath Lab for emergency intervention, decreasing the door-to-procedure time. The quicker the affected artery is unclogged during a heart attack, the more heart muscle is saved.
Catheterization Procedures
During a cardiac catheterization procedure, a cardiologsit guides a thin plastic tube called a catheter through an artery in the arm or leg into the affected artery in the heart or other major artery. Dye is injected through the catheter into the arteries. This test can measure blood pressure and how much oxygen is in the blood, and detect any blockages that may need to be repaired through interventional means. Procedures include:
- Diagnostic heart catheterization
- Percutaneous coronary angioplasty (PTCA)
- Coronary artery stent placement
- Direct angioplasty for treatment of acute myocardial infarction
- Intravascular ultrasound
- Intra-aortic balloon pump
- Pacemaker placement
- Diagnostic peripheral vascular catheterization
- Percutaneous peripheral vascular intervention (stent placement, angioplasty, limb salvage)
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