Cardiac Catheterization
In the battle against heart disease, cardiac catheterization is used by frontline physicians to both diagnose and treat certain heart and vascular conditions.
- The Cardiac Cath Laboratory at Lawrence General Hospital provides for both emergency and elective angioplasty.
- Our "door to balloon" times average under 65 minutes, with the gold standard for the industry being 90 minutes.
- We are renowned as a trendsetter in the cardiac field, using the radial artery in most of our cases. This allows our team to reach your heart more quickly, reducing arterial bleeding, and leading to a quicker recovery time for you or your loved one.
How does the Cardiac Catheterization process work?
Cardiac catheterization involves inserting a long, thin, flexible tube (catheter) into a blood vessel in your arm or upper thigh threaded to your heart. Contrast dye is injected into the tube and viewed on an X-ray to trace the movement of your blood through your arteries, revealing if plaque has narrowed or blocked your coronary arteries. Your cardiologist will use these images to evaluate the heart and treat specific heart conditions. The procedure generally takes about 20-30 minutes. At the conclusion, all catheters and sheaths are removed, bleeding stopped, and a dressing is applied. You will be moved to a recovery area where you will rest for several hours or in some cases, overnight.
If the results indicate a need to perform an angioplasty or stenting, an interventional cardiologist will be notified immediately. If all criteria are met, the blocked area in your heart will be repaired in a procedure known as a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), also known as angioplasty and stenting. The stent is used to prevent the artery from closing up again.
CONTACT OUR CATH LAB DIRECTOR
David Gossman, MD, FACC, FSCAI
david.gossman@lawrencegeneral.org