Information of Interest to Patients

What is a diagnostic cardiac catheterization procedure?

It is an invasive procedure performed by certified cardiovascular physicians which most often is indicated for the diagnosis of coronary vessel anatomy which at times is responsible for unstable coronary syndromes leading to a "heart attack". It consists of a catheter based technique in a hospital or ambulatory setting for evaluation on coronary anatomy in order to identify disease burden and clasification of atherosclerosis which may be causing delayed or obstructed blood flow to the heart muscle. Duration depends on the complexity of the procedure and access management but mostly can vary from 10 - 15 minutes. Depending on the results of the study the patient may be referred for consideration on medical therapy management or revascularization (when appropriate) which can be performed via a catheter or surgical based technique.

What is a Percutaneous Coronary Intervention?

Invasive catheter based technique  used for coronary revascularization of diseased vessels with newer state of the art techniques involving access management and safer percutaneous revascularization devices which diminish major cardiovascular adverse effect. Percutaneous interventions can be performed on the coronary arteries, heart valves, and peripheral interventions of lower extremity to achieve similar revascularization results of coronary intervention. Usually it is performed and planned after a diagnostic cardiac catheterization, and only if deemed a suitable candidate by the interventional cardiologist unless it is performed on an emergency basis such as acute oclussion of a coronary vessel related to a "heart attack".

What is a Transaortic Valve Replacement (TAVR/TAVI)?

It is a non-surgical based procedure (minimally invasive) to replace the native diseased aortic valve (for patients with a diagnosis of aortic stenosis) without the need for open heart surgery (sternotomy) and a rapid recovery period of approximately 24-48 hours. We at Cardiology Elite promote and educate patients towards an informed consent decision based on the maximal benefit and minimizing as much as possible known risks.