Cardiac Cath Lab Interventional Procedures

Find a hospital that provides Cardiac Cath Lab Interventional Procedures

Intermountain Healthcare utilizes an integrated system approach to deliver the best patient care, consistently and at the lowest appropriate cost. We use the expertise from our hospitals, clinics, and health plan to ensure excellent and consistent care no matter which Intermountain facility you visit.

• Find a hospital that provides Cardiac Cath Lab Interventional Procedures

Cardiac Cath Lab Interventional Procedures

Angioplasty (PTCA)
Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA, or balloon angioplasty) is performed in the cardiac cath lab. This procedure helps restore a healthy blood flow to the heart by reopening arteries narrowed by fatty plaque. The procedure happens in 3 steps:

• An expandable balloon catheter is guided into a narrowed section of a coronary artery.
• The balloon is then inflated, and compresses plaque against the artery wall.
• The balloon catheter is deflated and then withdrawn, re-establishing blood flow through the newly widened artery.

Stent Placement
A stent is a small metal coil or tube that is placed in a narrowed artery to hold it open. To place the stent, your healthcare provider first performs angioplasty or atherectomy to compress or cut away plaque buildup in the artery. Sometimes the stent can be placed during an initial balloon angioplasty. The procedure happens in 3 steps:

1. An expandable balloon catheter, with a stent attached, is positioned inside the narrowed artery.
2. The balloon is expanded.
3. The balloon catheter is deflated and withdrawn. The stent remains behind to hold open the artery and help maintain good blood flow.

Valvuloplasty (PTBV)
Valvuloplasty (or PTBV, percutaneous transluminal balloon valvuloplasty) is performed in the cardiac cath lab. This procedure treats hardened, narrowed heart valves. The procedure happens in 3 steps:

• An expandable balloon catheter is guided into your heart and positioned inside the narrowed valve.
• The balloon is inflated, which stretches the narrowed valve so that it can open more freely.
• The balloon catheter is deflated and withdrawn, and blood flows more easily through the treated valve.

Ablation
Ablation is a technique used to treat an abnormally fast heartbeat. It involves ablating (destroying) a very small, targeted area of the heart muscle. By destroying the area responsible for the abnormal rhythm, ablation restores a normal heartbeat.

Ablations are done using radiofrequency energy (similar to microwave heat). During radiofrequency ablation, a catheter with an electrode at its tip is guided through a blood vessel into your heart. The electrode sends out radiofrequency energy that burns way the cells that are causing the fast heartbeat. The catheter is then removed from your body.

Brachytherapy
Brachytherapy is a procedure that uses radiation to keep blocked heart arteries open, usually combined with angioplasty and stent placement.  For some patients, artery blockage recurs after a stent has been placed to widen the artery. Used during an angioplasty, brachytherapy treats the area with radiation to help inhibit cell growth, which prevents scar formation that can create a blockage in the stent. Brachytherapy happens in three steps:

1. A catheter containing a small dose of radiation is guided to the narrowed heart artery.
2. The catheter delivers the dose of radiation.
3. The catheter is withdrawn.

This radiation treatment generally adds only a few more minutes to the normal time for an angioplasty procedure.

Intermountain Healthcare resources on heart and vascular diagnostic and treatment procedures

• Heart Care Handbook Chapter 4 - Diagnostic Tests
• Heart Care Handbook Chapter 5 - Treatment Procedures