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Interventional Cardiology

Minimally Invasive Heart Care

Interventional cardiologists at Trios Health use non-surgical procedures to diagnose and treat a variety of heart and vascular conditions. Instead of making a surgical incision, a minimally invasive technique called cardiac catheterization is used.

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Cardiac catheterization involves using advanced imaging to guide tiny tubes, stents, wires, or other very small devices through tiny punctures in your skin. In addition to diagnosing conditions, these methods can be used to widen narrowed or blocked arteries that cause many cardiac and peripheral vascular disorders.

Diagnostic and interventional cardiac procedures performed at Trios include:

  • Abdominal aortogram—uses dye and x-rays to locate narrowed or blocked blood vessels
  • Cardioversion—procedure to restore normal heart rhythm for those with arrhythmia (abnormal heartbeat)  
  • Coronary angioplasty and stenting—procedure to locate and open narrowed or blocked arteries    
  • Dialysis graft intervention—procedure to improve blood flow in a dialysis fistula and graft placed in the blood vessels of dialysis patients    
  • Loop recorder implantation—small device temporarily implanted just beneath the skin in your chest to continuously monitor the rate and rhythm of your heartbeat    
  • Pacemaker insertion—placing a small device in your chest to help regulate your heartbeat using small pulses of electricity    
  • Peripheral angiogram—uses dye and x-rays to check for narrowed or blocked arteries in your hands, arms, legs, or feet    
  • Peripheral angioplasty and intervention, including athrectomy—procedures used to remove plaque from your arteries to restore better blood flow    
  • Transesophageal echocardiogram—test using sound waves to create moving pictures of your heart and blood vessels that show how well your heart is working
  • Venous disease intervention—procedures that help restore proper blood flow from your legs to your heart.

Preventing Open Heart Surgery

Most heart patients do not require open heart surgery. Many times, interventions such as angioplasty—with or without the placement of stents—can help prevent more serious cardiac events and the need for more invasive measures. We explore every possible alternative to help you avoid open heart surgery. However, in the rare event it becomes necessary, we can quickly transfer you to the appropriate facility.

Your Safety Is Our Top Priority

A recent national study—led by Johns Hopkins cardiologist Thomas Aversano, MD—confirms the safety of angioplasty performed at facilities that do not perform open heart surgery. It concludes that patients who have non-emergency angioplasty to open blocked heart vessels are at no greater risk of death or complications when they have the procedure performed at hospitals without cardiac surgery backup.