Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory

Yashoda hospital offers courteous and compassionate clinical services that are of the highest regard. Our hospital provides advanced medical care to our patients by offering state of the art facilities and the latest technologies guided by the highest ethical principles, keeping in mind the best for our patients.

Our team consists of interventional cardiologists who specialize in treating cardiovascular disease and are specifically trained to use catheters to perform cardiovascular procedures. Our care team also includes cath lab nurses and technologists who closely care for you from the time you arrive for your procedure, while technologists support the interventional cardiologist with the procedure.

What is a Cath Lab?

At Yashoda hospital, our radiologists diagnose and aid in treating heart patients from minimally invasive techniques. In the cath lab, we diagnose and treat a wide variety of medical conditions. A catheterization laboratory, also known as a cath lab, is a special place in a hospital that contains diagnostic imaging equipment. Our interventional cardiologists use the equipment to visualize the arteries and the chambers of the heart and treat any stenosis or abnormality detected in the heart.

Our cath lab consists of special imaging equipment which are used to see the arteries and analyze how well blood is flowing to and from the heart. Our care team diagnoses and treats blockages and other problems in the arteries using the information and reports from the cath lab.

What are the Procedures Performed in the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory?

Diagnostic Procedures

Diagnostic cardiac catheterization: The doctor inserts the catheter through the skin into an artery, which is then guided through the body’s arterial highway to the heart. A special dye is injected into the coronary arteries to identify any possible blockages.
Biopsy: It is a diagnostic procedure in which a myocardial tissue sample is obtained from the ventricle of the heart. This procedure aids in identifying a disease or to detect the rejection after the heart transplant.

Interventional procedures

Atherectomy: A cardiologist uses a rotational atherectomy catheter -- an olive-shaped diamond burr which spins at a very high speed to clear your artery of hardened and calcified plaque. The plaque is pulverized into harmless microscopic particles that are washed away by the bloodstream.
Balloon angioplasty: To remove the coronary blockage, a catheter with a balloon on its tip is passed. The balloon inflates and splits the plaque, which results in more blood flow to the heart muscles as the walls of the coronary vessel are stretched.
Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI): Our cath lab offers PCI, which is a non-surgical procedure that uses catheters and tiny wires. The procedure helps in treating narrowing (stenosis) of the coronary arteries of the heart found in coronary artery disease. It is an alternative to bypass surgery and also is a treatment option for people with angina.
Septal closure devices: This non-surgical procedure is used to close the defects in the atrial septum by inserting a wire mesh device comprosed of nickel and titanium (Nitinol) and filled with a polyester thread. The most common defects that are closed with this technique are- patent foramen ovale (PFO) and atrial septal defect (ASD).
Pacemaker insertion: A pacemaker insertion procedure involves implanting of a small electronic device which is usually implanted in the chest (just below the collarbone. The device helps in regulating the slow electrical problems with the heart. The pacemakers help in maintaining the heart rate, and it ensures that the heartbeat does not slow to a dangerously low rate.
OCT: Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is an optical analogue of intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) which is used by doctors to examine the coronary arteries. The OCT has a 10-fold higher resolution than IVUS. It can also differentiate between various tissue characteristics such as calcified, fibrous or lipid-rich plaque. It can even identify thin-cap fibroatheroma.
Stenting: To prevent the artery from reclosing after balloon angioplasty, doctors use a stent, which is a small, metal mesh tube that is placed within a coronary artery. The coronary stents are placed permanently in the artery to prevent the build-up of tissue that leads to restenosis. Your doctor will discuss with you the type of stent that will be best suited to you.
Thrombectomy: There are various types of catheters that are used to clear the loose debris in the arteries. Prior to the angioplasty or stenting, the various debris are removed.

What to Expect During a Cardiac Catheterization?

Before the Procedure

Your doctor will advise you to don't eat or drink anything for at least 6 hours.
Prior to the scan, leave all the jewelry and other accessories at home.
You should bring family and friends while undergoing the procedure, and they can wait in the waiting room for you.

During the Procedure

The patients are wheeled into the cath lab prior to the procedure.
The anaesthesiologists will deliver the sedatives.
The catheter is inserted by the doctor through a blood vessel in the upper leg or wrist from the numbed area.
Depending on the type of catheterization, the procedure will be performed.

After the Procedure

You can stay for two to four hours at the hospital, depending on the type of catheterization.
After the procedure is completed, you can eat and drink.
You may have to stay in the hospital if a therapeutic catheterization has been performed.
The signed reports will be shared with you or with your primary physician to discuss the results.

Are there any risks involved in the procedure?

Heart and blood vessel catheterization pose some risks which have some risks. Although most of the risks are rare:

Risks of cardiac catheterization are: