Cardiac catheterization are used to treat diseased arteries in a way that’s much less invasive than traditional surgery. Einstein
Institute for Heart and Vascular Health was one of the first heart centers in the region to offer angioplasty more than 20
years ago.
Our cardiologists have performed thousands of catheterization procedures to treat heart and vascular diseases. Studies show
that the more cardiologists perform cardiac procedures such as angioplasties, the higher their skill level or the better the
patient outcome.
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Eighty percent of Einstein patients who undergo angioplasty are also fitted with stents: tiny mesh or slotted tubes that are
permanently implanted into arteries to hold them open.
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We offer patients advanced catheterization procedures at the Minerva and Fred Braemer Heart Center. For instance, we are one
of only a few cardiac catheterization labs in the region to perform peripheral vascular stenting for clogged blood vessels.
Some of the procedures we offer include:
Angioplasty
Angioplasty is a nonsurgical treatment technique that helps doctors open clogged or narrowed coronary arteries. Cardiologists
inflate a special balloon catheter inside an artery. The balloon compresses built-up plaque and creates a wider channel for
blood to flow through.
Angioplasty with Stenting
Eighty percent of Einstein patients who undergo angioplasty are also fitted with stents: tiny mesh or slotted tubes or coils
that are permanently implanted into arteries. A stent acts as a kind of scaffold to hold an artery open.
Directional Coronary Atherectomy (DCA)
During this procedure, a tiny instrument inserted with a catheter shaves plaque away from the walls of the coronary arteries
to restore blood flow to the heart. The plaque is then removed from the artery when the device is withdrawn.
Intravascular Pressure Measurement
During this procedure, cardiologists insert a pressure wire into an artery to determine whether a specific lesion is the cause
of decreased blood flow. This procedure can also be used to evaluate the effectiveness of catheterization and stenting.
Intravascular Ultrasound (IVUS)
Einstein is one of the first cardiac cath labs in the region to offer the latest generation of intravascular ultrasound (IVUS)
technology to obtain diagnostic information about the coronary arteries.
During this procedure, a sound wave device is threaded into a blood vessel via a catheter. The sound waves create images that
allow cardiologists to more accurately determine the size of blood vessels, proper stent placement and length, and the composition
of blockages.
Peripheral Vascular Stenting
Cardiologists use catheters to unclog blocked arteries in legs, arms and other places in the body. A balloon attached to a
catheter inflates and expands a stent -- a tiny mesh or slotted tube, or coil that holds an artery open -- in a blocked artery,
opening up the artery to allow greater blood flow.
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Blocked leg artery before stent implantation
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Re-opened artery after stent implantation
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Rotational Atherectomy
Cardiologists insert a catheter equipped with a high-speed rotational "burr" into your coronary arteries. The burr is coated
with microscopic diamond particles and rotates at high speed, breaking up blockages into very small fragments that the body
removes naturally.
Transluminal Extraction Atherectomy (TEC)
During this procedure, cardiologists use a special catheter with rotating cutter blades at the tip to remove blockages. The
resulting debris is vacuumed into the catheter and removed from the body.
