Interventional Cardiology

A slender, long tube is inserted into your wrist or leg through a blood vessel and guided to your heart or other areas in your body. The doctor injects a dye through your arteries for guidance while he performs the stenting procedure. 

The catheter has a balloon at the tip which inflates to stretch your artery open and increase blood flow to your heart. A stent (small metal mesh cylinder) is then placed into your vessel so it stays open.

Read five things to know about coronary angioplasties

Cardiologists place a burr or rotary shaver at the tip of a catheter and guide it to the affected area to remove plaque that has built up on the walls of your artery. A laser catheter might be used in some cases to vaporize the plaque.

A tiny balloon is inserted and inflated into your blocked artery to create space. The plaque is compressed by the balloon against your artery wall to improve your blood flow. The doctor then removes the balloon after the procedure is completed.

Occasionally, if the narrowing that is being treated is in your carotid arteries or in a bypass graft, the doctor will use specialized devices such as filters to prevent the plaque from breaking off and traveling in your blood causing damage.

You have four valves in your heart that control how your blood flows through your heart chambers. Catheters are used to guide devices like clips to your damaged valve through your blood vessels. Doctors then repair your valve so your blood can start flowing properly again using these devices.

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is a minimally-invasive procedure to replace a poorly working heart valve. TAVR is an alternative to open-heart surgery, which may be too risky for some patients. With TAVR, a catheter carries a new valve through the blood vessels and through the narrowed valve. The stent that houses the new valve then expands into place, and the new valve starts working right away.

Learn more about the TAVR procedure

Learn more about the cutting-edge technology we use to make TAVR procedures as safe as possible