Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation – Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia (abnormal heart rhythm) and involves the two upper chambers (atria) of the heart. It can often be diagnosed by taking a pulse and observing that the heartbeats don't occur at regular intervals. Another indication of AF is the absence of P waves on an electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG), which are normally present when there is a coordinated atrial contraction at the beginning of each heart beat. The risk of developing AF increases with age. Three to five percent of people over the age of 65 have AF. Ablation may be effective in some AF patients when medications do not work. During ablation, thin, flexible tubes are introduced through a blood vessel and directed to the heart muscle. A burst of electrical energy is administered to destroy tissue that triggers abnormal electrical signals or to block abnormal electrical pathways.
Atherectomy (Rotablater) - This procedure is conducted to open coronary arteries blocked by plaque. Through cardiac catheterization, a catheter is advanced to an artery's blockage, where it removes the plaque buildup either by a laser beam or a cutting device.
Balloon Angioplasty - Also known as percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty, or PTCA, this procedure is used to open blocked coronary arteries. During cardiac catheterization, an expandable balloon is delivered through a catheter into a narrowed part of the coronary artery. The balloon is then inflated, stretching the artery open and allowing blood to flow through.
Balloon Valvuloplasty - Similar to a balloon angioplasty, this procedure is performed to enlarge the opening of a narrowed heart valve. During balloon valvuloplasty, a catheter is guided into the narrowed valve. Then a tiny balloon is inflated and deflated several times to stretch the valve's opening.
Cardiac Catheterization - is the insertion of a catheter into a chamber or vessel of the heart. This is done for both investigational and interventional purposes. Coronary catheterization is a subset of this technique, involving the catheterization of the coronary arteries.
Device Lead Extractions - A lead is a special wire that delivers energy from a pacemaker or implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) to the heart muscle. A lead extraction is the removal of one or more leads from inside the heart. Leads that are placed outside the heart during open heart surgery cannot be removed during this type of procedure.
Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator (ICD) - is a small battery-powered electrical impulse generator which is implanted in patients who are at risk of sudden cardiac death due to ventricular fibrillation. The device is programmed to detect cardiac arrhythmia and correct it by delivering a jolt of electricity. In current variants, the ability to revert ventricular fibrillation has been extended to include both atrial and ventricular arrhythmias as well as the ability to perform biventricular pacing in patients with congestive heart failure or bradycardia.
Intra-Cardiac Echocardiography (ICE) - is an imaging technique that is an alternative to transoesophageal echocardiography to guide interventional procedures through the skin. A probe is inserted under local anesthesia and is principally used during closure of atrial septal abnormalities. The main advantages of ICE over transoesophageal echocardiography include the elimination of the need for general anesthesia, clearer imaging, shorter procedure times and reduced radiation doses to the patient.
Intravascular Ultrasound (IVUS) - is a medical imaging methodology using a specially designed catheter with a miniaturized ultrasound probe attached to the insertion end of the catheter. The other end of the catheter is attached to computerized ultrasound equipment. It allows the application of ultrasound technology to see from inside blood vessels out through the surrounding blood column, visualizing the endothelium (inner wall) of blood vessels.
Mitral Valvuloplasty (Balloon Valvuloplasty) - is a minimally invasive therapeutic procedure to correct a mitral stenosis by dilating the valve using a balloon. Mitral valvuloplasty is an alternative to surgery for treatment of valvular and congenital heart diseases.
Radiofrequency Ablation - This procedure treats rapid or irregular heartbeats. It involves using mild, painless radiofrequency energy to destroy cells in the heart that are creating the extra impulses causing the irregular rhythms.
Stenting -- Through cardiac catheterization, a wire mesh tube called a stent is permanently placed in a blocked artery to hold it open and allow blood to circulate. Both metal and drug-eluting stents, which secrete drugs that help prevent the blood vessel from reclosing, are available.