Coronary Intervention

What is a coronary intervention?

A coronary intervention is a treatment for heart problems that don’t involve surgery. Coronary interventions typically use cardiac catheterization techniques.

A catheter is a narrow tube. It fits inside the large arteries that carry blood rich in oxygen away from your heart to the rest of your body. To perform a coronary intervention, your doctor inserts a catheter into one of your arteries and feeds it along until it gets to your heart.

When the catheter is in place, your doctor can perform various interventions using sophisticated imaging technology to view the procedure. One of the main uses of coronary interventions is treating coronary artery disease (CAD).

How are coronary interventions used to treat CAD?

Heart Clinic of Hammond uses coronary interventions to remove or compress the plaque inside your arteries. 

Plaque is a sticky substance composed of excess cholesterol (fat) and calcium in your blood. It coats the walls of the arteries, building up over time so there’s less space for blood to flow.

Reduced blood flow causes symptoms like chest pain, shortness of breath, and chronic fatigue, and could lead to a heart attack. Percutaneous coronary interventions aim to widen the arteries, so your heart gets the oxygen-rich blood it needs to function properly. 

One approach is atherectomy, where your doctor removes the plaque with a special tool. Another is balloon angioplasty. During the procedure, the catheter has a balloon on its end that your doctor inflates inside the narrowed artery. The balloon flattens the plaque to widen the space. 

Your doctor is likely to leave a mesh tube called a stent in place to support the artery walls. Special stents also help prevent new plaque formation by releasing medication that stops cholesterol from building up again. 

Another CAD treatment, coronary brachytherapy, uses small quantities of radiation to treat severe disease. It prevents scar tissue growth in your stents, which helps keep your arteries open.

What are other coronary interventions available?

Other procedures Heart Clinic of Hammond doctors perform using coronary interventions include:

Cardiac ablation

Ablation involves creating tiny scars in the heart using heat or cold. The scars block faulty electrical signals that cause arrhythmia (an irregular heartbeat).

Valvuloplasty

Valvuloplasty treats valvular heart diseases like mitral stenosis, aortic stenosis, and pulmonic stenosis. These conditions affect the way the valves between your heart’s chambers work.

Draining pericardial effusions

Pericardial effusion is a fluid buildup in the sac around your heart. 

Permanent pacemaker insertion

A pacemaker helps regulate a slow or abnormal heartbeat.

To find out how you could benefit from coronary interventions, call Heart Clinic of Hammond today or book an appointment online.