For patients with a range of symptoms that point to heart disease, specialized care is provided. Interventional cardiologists recommend various tests and carry out diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. What does interventional cardiology treatment involve? Read on to find out more!
Diagnostic and Therapeutic Procedures Recommended by Cardiologists
Alcohol Septal Ablation
This first procedure is a catheter-based treatment. It is typically used as a non-surgical way to treat HCM (hypertrophic cardiomyopathy), or thickening of the heart muscle. During the procedure, ethanol alcohol is injected into a small artery that supplies blood to the thickened part of the heart muscle, shrinking the diseased tissue.
Angioplasty
The next procedure, which is considered quite effective, is a minimally invasive one. It uses tools such as balloons or stents to open blocked arteries and restore blood flow. Types include balloon angioplasty and cutting balloon angioplasty, which are performed as same-day outpatient procedures.
Read also: 3 Types of Coronary Heart Disease Treatment
Cardiac Catheterization
Cardiac catheterization is performed to check how well the patient's heart is working. A thin, hollow tube known as a catheter is inserted into the large blood vessels leading to the heart. The procedure is then used to determine whether the patient has heart valve disease, heart muscle disease, or coronary artery disease.
Atrial Septal Defect (ASD) Closure
This interventional cardiology procedure is used to treat an atrial septal defect, a hole in the heart that is present from birth. The hole is usually closed with a special patch or plug, depending on the patient's health and the size and location of the defect. ASD closure can be performed through minimally invasive cardiac catheterization or may require open surgery.
Stenting
Stenting is one of the procedures used to widen and hold open blocked coronary arteries. In this treatment, a cardiac stent, a small device, is placed in the coronary artery using one of several minimally invasive procedures.
The procedure is performed through a small incision, and the interventional cardiologist inserts a catheter into an artery in the patient's arm or groin. The catheter is then guided to the narrowed or blocked section of the artery, where a stent is placed to improve blood flow to the heart.
This step is also taken to reduce the risk of heart disease and other severe symptoms. Drug-eluting stents are stents coated with medication that is slowly released into the treated area over time. This interventional cardiology procedure is performed to prevent the formation and buildup of scar tissue.
Read also about some facilities for heart surgery or treatment here: heartology.id
