Division of Cardiovascular Medicine
The Division of Cardiovascular Medicine provides high-quality heart health services, vast research opportunities, and comprehensive education and training programs.
Cardiac Catheterization & Interventional Cardiology
Nonsurgical detection and treatment of heart disease
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A Minimally Invasive Approach to Heart Care
Lahey Clinic is at the forefront of catheter-based heart and vascular procedures. And we’ve helped move the field of interventional cardiology forward. When you turn to us for a cardiac catheterization or interventional cardiology procedure, you’ll be well taken care of. With the most advanced treatments and a team of caring and skilled heart experts, we make sure of it.
What Is Interventional Cardiology?
Interventional cardiology is a subspecialty of cardiology that focuses on diagnosing and treating cardiovascular conditions using minimally invasive, catheter-based procedures.
Catheterization procedures involve inserting a thin, flexible tube called a catheter into a blood vessel and threading it to your heart with imaging guidance. The procedure may help us identify blockages, measure pressures within your heart and more. We can also use catheters to treat many heart conditions that at one time would have required heart surgery.
The Cardiac Catheterization Lab
Our cardiac catheterization, or cardiac cath, lab is a specialized area of the hospital. It contains a table that you lie on during your procedure. Around the table is state-of-the-art X-ray equipment that allows for real-time imaging. The room also contains equipment that we use to monitor you throughout your procedure.
The cath lab is designed to make your experience as comfortable and efficient as possible. Safety, precision and accuracy are top priorities.
More About Cardiac Catheterization & Interventional Cardiology
Cardiac Catheterization & Interventional Procedures
Our interventional cardiologists address several types of heart and vascular problems with a variety of procedures.
They may perform your procedure by inserting a catheter through the femoral artery in your groin or the radial artery in your wrist. Radial artery catheterization can be helpful if you’re at high risk of bleeding. When doctors go through your groin, you must lie flat for several hours. If they go through your wrist, you can sit up right after your procedure.
Coronary Artery Blockages / Heart Attack
- Balloon angioplasty: Doctors inflate a tiny balloon on the tip of the catheter. This opens the blockage and restores blood flow.
- Stent placement: The catheter delivers a small mesh frame into a coronary artery. This keeps the artery open, allowing blood to flow. We may place a stent after angioplasty. We may also place a stent if you have long-term complete artery blockage (chronic total occlusion).
Heart Defects Present at Birth
Patent foramen ovale (PFO) and atrial septal defect (ASD) closures are procedures that treat holes in the heart’s left and right upper chambers (atria).
Ventricular Support for Shock
If you have severe heart failure or have had a heart attack, your heart may need help to pump more effectively. Several tools that rely on cardiac catheterization make this possible. They include:
- Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO)
- Impella device
- ProtekDuo
- TandemHeart
Heart Valve Disease
Catheter procedures are part of several heart valve repair and replacement treatments:
- Transcatheter aortic valve therapy (TAVR): TAVR is an alternative to surgery for people with a narrowed aortic valve. It delivers a new valve via a catheter. The procedure may be helpful for people who can’t have an operation or are at high or intermediate risk from surgery.
- Transcatheter edge-to-edge mitral valve repair (TEER): TEER places a small clip on your mitral valve. The clip helps the valve close more completely and reduces leaking.
- Valvuloplasty: Doctors inflate a balloon on the catheter tip to widen diseased heart valves.
Vascular Conditions
We use novel catheter-based techniques to dissolve and remove life-threatening clots. These may occur deep in your veins or the arteries of your lungs.
What to Expect with Your Cardiac Catheterization
To get you ready for your procedure, a nurse will shave and clean the area where the doctor will insert the catheter. During the procedure, doctors sedate you. However, you will be awake and able to follow instructions.
Usually, you receive a local anesthetic before the doctor punctures a large blood vessel and inserts the catheter. The doctor will thread the tube to your heart while watching the movement on a video screen. Depending on your reason for the procedure, the doctor may do many things, such as:
- Clear a blocked artery.
- Inject dye to observe blood flow.
- Measure pressure.
- Open a blocked valve.
- Take tissue samples.
After the procedure, staff put pressure on the puncture site. For several hours, you remain in a cardiac catheterization recovery site. You must stay in bed and keep the puncture site flat.
Sometimes, you’re in the hospital overnight. Other times, you go home the same day, with self-care instructions.
Meet the Team
Our interventional cardiologists treat a wide range of heart and vascular problems.
