Two state-of-the-art cardiac catheterization labs, used for both diagnostic and interventional procedures, allow Concord Hospital to treat a variety of complex heart conditions without the need for open-heart surgery. The labs perform approximately 1,500 procedures a year including diagnostic catheterizations, angioplasty and stenting to treat blocked arteries, and pacemaker and internal cardiac defibrillator implants to treat electrical problems of the heart. A multidisciplinary team of cardiologists, interventional cardiologists, cardiac nurses and technologists bring a variety of skills to the labs that ensure patients receive the highest quality and most sophisticated health care available.

The hospital’s newest cardiac catheterization machine features digital technology and quality imaging a generation ahead of what many hospitals still use. The flat-panel technology is utilized at the end of an imaging sequence to output digital images of the heart on a computer monitor. Since flat-panel imaging is designed exclusively for digital X-rays, the final product is a purer image of the heart and arteries. Another advantage of flat-panel technology is that cardiologists can decrease the amount of radiation used during these procedures because the images are cleaner.

Through the use of cardiac catheterization cardiologists are able to visualize the coronary arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle. Cardiac intervention involves various methods of opening clogged or blocked blood vessels, promoting improved blood flow and relieving stress on the heart muscle.

The types of coronary intervention performed at the Center for Cardiac Care include:

Balloon angioplasty: (or PTCA) a catheter with a small inflatable balloon on the end is positioned within an artery narrowed with plaque build-up. Inflating the balloon catheter causes the balloon to push outward against plaque in the artery until it no longer interferes with blood flow.

Drug-eluting stents: a small, coated stainless steel tube is inserted into a blocked coronary artery during a procedure called angioplasty. It remains in the artery permanently so blood may flow freely. This procedure accompanies or follows PTCA.

Atherectomy: a procedure that involves removing plaque build-up from the walls of arteries with a rotating blade.