STATE-OF-THE-ART PROCEDURES.
STRAIGHT-FROM-THE-HEART CARE.Cardiac
Heart disease, stroke, and other heart conditions such as arrhythmias can be managed and treated with a variety of procedures. Committed to delivering lifelong health, our cardiologists are here to guide patients toward the right procedure for them based on their individual health needs.
Cardiac Catheterization
Cardiac catheterization is an invasive imaging procedure that is used to evaluate or confirm the presence of coronary artery disease, valve disease, or disease of the aorta; evaluate heart muscle function; and determine the need for further treatment, whether this be with an interventional procedure, a coronary artery bypass graft, or surgery.
Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy
Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is used to treat the delay in heart ventricle contractions that occur in some people with advanced heart failure. The CRT pacing device (also called a biventricular pacemaker) is an electronic, battery-powered device that is surgically implanted under the skin to help the heartbeat in a more balanced way.
Catheter Ablation
Catheter ablation is a treatment for cardiac arrhythmias. Your physician will insert a catheter into your heart, through which a special machine delivers energy to the tiny areas of the heart muscle that cause the abnormal heart rhythm. This energy “disconnects” the pathway of the abnormal rhythm. Ablation can also be used to disconnect the electrical pathway between the upper and lower chambers of the heart.
Coronary Balloon Angioplasty and Stent
Balloon angioplasty is a procedure in which a small balloon at the tip of a catheter is inserted near the blocked or narrowed area of the coronary artery. In many cases, balloon angioplasty is performed in combination with the stenting procedure, which uses a small, metal mesh tube that acts as a scaffold to provide support inside the coronary artery. Once in place, the balloon is inflated and the stent expands to the size of the artery and holds it open. The balloon is deflated and removed, and the stent stays in place permanently.
Loop Recorder Insertion
A loop recorder is a small device implanted just under the skin of a patient’s chest to record the heart’s electrical activity. Our doctors can perform this procedure with patients under local anesthesia. The ILR (implantable loop recorder) has the ability to record the electrical activity of the heart either by responding when the heart rhythm drops below the expected range preprogrammed by the doctor or when the patient activates a recording on their own.
Pacemaker
A pacemaker is a device that sends small electrical impulses to the heart muscle to maintain a suitable heart rate or to stimulate the lower chambers of the heart (ventricles). A pacemaker may also be used to treat fainting spells (syncope), congestive heart failure, and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
Electrical Cardioversion
Cardioversion is a procedure in which an electrical shock is delivered to the heart to convert an irregular or fast heart rhythm to a normal heart rhythm. During cardioversion, your doctor uses a cardioverter machine to send electrical energy to the heart muscle to restore the normal heart rhythm. The most common irregular heart rhythms that require cardioversion include atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter.
Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation
Pulmonary vein ablation is a treatment for atrial fibrillation, an abnormal heart rhythm that originates in the atria, the top chambers of the heart. In a pulmonary vein ablation procedure, energy is delivered through the tip of a catheter to tissue that is targeted for ablation. The energy is applied in a circle around the connection of the left upper and lower pulmonary veins to the left atrium.
Enhanced External Counterpulsation
Enhanced external counterpulsation (EECP) can stimulate the openings or formations of collaterals, small branches of blood vessels, to create a natural bypass around narrowed or blocked arteries. It is a noninvasive outpatient therapy that gently but firmly compresses blood vessels in the lower limbs in order to increase blood flow to your heart.
Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator
An ICD (implantable cardioverter defibrillator) is an electronic device that constantly monitors your heart rhythm. When it detects a very fast, abnormal heart rhythm – such as those that occur with ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation – it delivers energy to the heart muscle. This causes the heart to beat in a normal rhythm again.
Remote Device Monitoring
Remote monitoring allows us to serve more patients by remotely evaluating their heartbeats over time while they go about their usual daily activities. Types of monitors include holter monitors, a looping memory monitor, and a cardiac event recorder.