Interventional Cardiology | Get to Know All About It

If your cardiologist has recommended you get an angiogram to understand about the blockages in your arteries, you’ll likely see an interventional cardiologist.

What is Interventional Cardiology?

Interventional cardiology is the branch of cardiology that deals specifically with the less invasive, catheter-based diagnosis and treatment of structural heart diseases.

Interventional cardiology is able to treat structural heart diseases with just a needle puncture of a few mm- without making large cuts or entering instruments into the body. Most of the procedures are carried out in the cardiovascular system- this includes the heart, veins, and arteries. Using balloons and stents, Primarily, it helps treat coronary artery disease, vascular disease, and acquired structural heart disease.

Interventional cardiology uses balloons and stents, pressure wires (iFR/FFR), and imaging tools like intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) and optical coherent tomography (OCT).

So what do interventional cardiologists do? Well, measure cardiovascular functions like blood pressure and blood flow in major arteries and within the chambers of the heart by using different diagnostic tools and imaging techniques. They work with surgeons to manage patients and determine whether they need surgery.

When to See an Interventional Cardiologist?

You should meet with an interventional cardiologist if:

Your EKG tests indicate a blockage to your coronary artery.
You need to deal with serious heart issues like heart attack, unstable angina, or heart valve disease.
You need special heart treatments like cardiac catheterization, angioplasty, or heart valve repair.

What does Interventional Cardiology Treat?

While general heart problems can be taken care of by your primary doctor, you will need to see an interventional cardiologist for serious heart or blood vessel issues. Interventional cardiologists do not perform open-heart surgeries, but they design and deliver specialized treatments, procedures, diagnostic tools, and therapies for a lot of conditions:

Acute coronary syndromes
Angina
Angiogenesis
Angioplasty and restenosis
Angioplasty and stent placement
Aortic aneurysm
Aortic diseases and dissection
Aortic valve replacement
Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR)
Arrhythmias
Atrial septal defect (ASD)
Cardiac catheterization
Cardiac CT angiography (also called coronary angiography)
Cardiac imaging
Cardiac ultrasound
Cardiovascular disease
Carotid artery angioplasty and stenting
Carotid artery disease
Clinical trials
Congenital heart disease
Congenital heart disease, adult
Congestive heart disease
Congestive heart failure
Coronary angiography
Coronary angioplasty and stenting
Coronary artery disease (CAD)
Coronary artery disease, complex
Diabetes and heart disease
Echocardiography
Gene therapy
Heart attack
Heart disease in women
Heart failure
Heart valve disease
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
Interventional cardiology
Intravascular ultrasound
Invasive cardiology
Left ventricular assist device (LVAD)
Mitral-valve surgery
Non-invasive cardiology
Nuclear cardiology
Patent foramen ovale (PFO)
Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI)
Percutaneous myocardial revascularization (PMR)
Percutaneous valve repair
Peripheral artery disease (PAD)
Peripheral vascular disease (PVD)
Preventive cardiology
Renal artery stenosis
Renovascular disease
Sports medicine, cardiology
Stem-cell therapy for heart failure
Structural heart disease
Vascular medicine
ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI)
Myocarditis

What Tests does Interventional Cardiology Include?

Interventional cardiologists perform various cardiovascular imaging tests and other procedures to deal with different conditions of the heart:

Coronary Angiography

This is an invasive imaging procedure that can confirm and evaluate the presence of coronary artery disease, valve disease of the aorta, evaluate heart muscle function, and check if further treatment is needed. A contrast material is injected into the blood vessel through the groin or the hand and seen by a special X-ray machine, and the machine takes a picture in real-time. This is a safe and relatively painless procedure. When done through the hand, it can be completed in 15-20 minutes, and when done through the groin, it can be done in 4-5 hours.

Cardiac Computed Tomography (CCT, “cardiac CT”)

By creating cross-sectional views of the cardiovascular system using X-ray, imaging, and computers, doctors can assess and treat many cardiovascular, aortic, cardiac mass, pericardial, myocardium, coronary artery, and pulmonary vein issues.

Digital Subtraction Angiography (DSA)
Echocardiogram
Intravascular Ultrasound
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
Myocardial Perfusion Imaging (MPI)
Alcohol Septal Ablation
Angioplasty
Cardiac Catheterization
Atrial Septal Defect (ADS) closure
Aortic Balloon Valvuloplasty and Mitral Balloon Valvuloplasty
Chronic Total Occlusion (CTO) intervention
Carotid artery stenting
Directional Coronary Atherectomy (DCA)
Endovascular Thrombectomy
Exercise stress test
Hemodynamic cardiac filters and hemodynamic support procedures
Peripheral vascular interventions
Percutaneous coronary interventions
Percutaneous valve repair
Rotational atherectomy
Stenting
Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR)
Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD) repair

Is Interventional Cardiology Safe?

Apparently, using metallic stents and drug-coated balloons to treat coronary narrowings or blockages works great. It eliminates angina symptoms and improves heart function. So yes, interventional cardiology is very safe with a low complication rate of 1%.

The need for and the benefits of interventional cardiology are diverse. If you have a condition where you need to go to an interventional cardiologist, you only have two alternatives. You can either take regular medicines to control the symptoms or get coronary artery bypass surgery if it’s serious enough.

Don’t get confused, first consult an interventional cardiologist near you at V One Hospital in Indore and take the right decision.