Cardiac Catheterization

From angioplasty to stent placement, patients receive the highest quality, individualized care in our new technologically-advanced Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory (Cath Lab) at the Rochester Heart Institute.

The Cath Lab consists of five state-of-the-art cardiac labs that perform over 6,800 diagnostic and intervention procedures each year.

Procedures performed in the lab include:

•  Ablation
• Angioplasty
• Cardiac Defibrillator Implantation
• Coronary Ultrasound
• Electrophysiology Studies/Cardiac Mapping
• Pacemaker Implantation
• Stent Placement
• Thrombectomy

What is catheterization, exactly?

During a catheterization procedure, a thin, flexible tube, or catheter, is inserted into an artery or vein in the patient’s arm or leg. The catheter is then gently moved further into the arteries or the heart. It can be used as a diagnostic tool to figure out what is wrong with a patient’s cardiovascular system or it can also be used as a form of treatment for coronary artery disease.

Why is it done?

There are many reasons for have cardiac catheterization. The following are common reasons:

• Check blood flow and blood pressure in the chambers of your heart
• Check blood flow in the coronary arteries and, if you have coronary artery disease, determine whether surgery or another type of procedure, such as angioplasty with stenting, is needed to open your blocked blood vessels
• Check the pumping action of your heart
• Find out if a congenital heart defect is present and how severe it is. Cardiac catheterization sometimes can also be used to help correct the defect
• Check blood flow through your heart after surgery
• Find out how well your heart valves work

RHI’s cath lab provides excellent patient support and outcomes with individualized care from a team of nurse practitioners, physician assistants, technologists and other staff members who work directly with your attending physician. In fact, it’s this team approach that has made our cardiac program a Top 100 Cardiovascular Hospital in the country for seven of the last nine years by Thompson/Solucient.

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