Cardiac Catheterization

Cardiac catheterization is a procedure used to diagnose and treat a range of heart conditions, including coronary artery disease.

During a cardiac catheterization, the physician threads a thin, flexible tube called a catheter through a blood vessel in your arm, groin or neck and into your heart. Using X-rays, the doctor looks for signs of heart disease and determines the size and location of fat and calcium deposits that may narrow the openings in the arteries.

Advanced Technology at Temecula Valley Hospital

Temecula Valley Hospital has three advanced cardiac catheterization laboratories. One is designed specifically as an Electrophysiology Lab for diagnosing and treating heart rhythm disorders, such as atrial fibrillation.

Cardiac Catheterization Treatments

Temecula Valley Hospital performs a variety of catheterization procedures, including:

• Transradial Cardiac Catheterization (through the wrist): At Temecula Valley Hospital, specially trained cardiologists can perform cardiac catheterization procedures through an artery in the patient's wrist, for increased safety and greater patient comfort.
• Coronary Angioplasty: Instead of open-heart surgery, angioplasty uses a balloon-tipped catheter to unblock a coronary artery. Stents (small, flexible tubes made of plastic or wire mesh) are sometimes used to support the damaged artery walls. This procedure prevents the re-narrowing of arteries.
• Athrectomy: Similar to angioplasty, this surgical procedure uses a laser beam or a whirling blade to cut the plaque build-up on the artery wall. This increases blood flow in narrowed arteries and stents also may be implanted during this procedure.
• Thrombolysis: An effective procedure to treat deep vein thrombosis (DVT), a thrombolysis treats blockages in blood vessels by dissolving blood clots. This improves blood blow and can prevent damage to tissues and organs.