Cardiac Catheterization Lab

Firelands Health cath lab is a specialized area in the hospital that uses state-of-the-art imaging technology to view the arteries and check how well blood flows to and from the heart. The care team uses this information to help diagnose and treat blockages and other problems in the arteries, often without patients needing surgery. 

What is a cardiac catheterization?

A cardiac catheterization is a minimally invasive diagnostic procedure that involves passing a small, hollow tube through an artery in the arm or groin and into the right or left side of the heart. Using a special X-ray, this procedure is performed to determine pressure and blood flow in the heart’s chambers, collect blood samples from the heart, and examine the arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle.

What does a cardiac catheterization show?

A cardiac catheterization helps physicians diagnose heart conditions. Some of these conditions include coronary artery disease (blockages in the arteries of the heart), defective heart valves and congenital heart defects (birth defects.) This procedure also reveals information on how well the heart is pumping.

Coronary intervention

If a coronary intervention procedure is needed, Firelands Heart Center offers coronary artery balloon angioplasty and stenting and we are proud of our excellent patient outcomes. Your physician will provide more information and discuss the options available to you.

What is coronary intervention?

Coronary intervention is also known as Percutaneous (through the skin) Coronary Intervention (PCI). Coronary intervention involves balloon angioplasty, coronary artery stenting and other technology to open the arteries to the heart and increase oxygen rich blood flow to the heart muscle.

This procedure involves the introduction of a thin, flexible, hollow catheter into an artery in the arm, wrist or groin. The catheter is advanced through the blood vessel and into the heart. A special ballooning tip allows the physician to open the narrowed coronary artery by inflating the balloon and widening the diseased vessel. Balloon angioplasty is a nonsurgical way to treat plaque buildup in the arteries and to restore blood flow through the arteries. Balloon angioplasty is often performed with coronary artery stenting, a procedure that utilizes a balloon to inflate a metal sleeve (stent) within the artery.