Catheter Interventions
The Mount Sinai Heart Institute treats more patients for cardiovascular disease than any other hospital in South Florida, making it a leading choice for cardiac patients not only from Florida, but from around the world. In fact, our surgeons are the most experienced in the region performing minimally invasive heart procedures that utilize catheter-based interventions.
Armed with advanced technology, skilled practitioners, and access to the newest research, patients who come to Mount Sinai can take comfort in knowing we have the best heart attack survival rate in Florida* and the best cardiac surgery survival rate in Florida among hospitals that perform a high volume of complex cases.*
What Is Cardiac Catheterization?
Cardiac catheterizations refer to a group of procedures that are performed in Mount Sinai’s state-of-the-art cath lab. During these procedures, your Mount Sinai cardiovascular care team inserts a thin, hollow tube called a catheter into arteries or veins in your leg or arm and threads it into the heart. At Mount Sinai, we seek to utilize the radial artery in the arm whenever possible, because this approach reduces recovery time for our patients.
Our Approach
Interventional cardiology has evolved rapidly – and Mount Sinai has led the way. In addition to performing hundreds of procedures each year, we coordinate and participate in groundbreaking clinical trials that continue to advance the development of life-saving procedures.
Mount Sinai’s team of interventional cardiologists performs cardiac catherization for diagnostic purposes to evaluate blood flow to the heart and within the heart and to evaluate the heart’s ability to function properly.
We also use cardiac catheterization to perform procedures. We call these catheter-based approaches “endovascular procedures,” and we use them to open blocked arteries, correct structural heart defects, and repair damaged heart valves, as well as a number of interventions that can all be performed without incisions in the chest.
Vascular Interventions
Vascular disease refers to the conditions that affect the network of blood vessels that carry blood throughout the body. Vascular intervention procedures are used to open blocked arteries, repair arteries that have weakened or bulged outward into an aneurysm, and repair vessels that have begun to tear or dissect.
Most catheter procedures at the Mount Sinai Heart Institute to address vascular conditions are pre-scheduled and performed in an outpatient setting, with local anesthetic and light sedation. However, in emergencies, like when a patient arrives at the emergency department having a heart attack, we can spring into action and rush the patient to the cath lab and open blocked arteries in less than 60 minutes.
Vascular interventions using catheter procedures can be applied to vessels anywhere in the body, including those in the neck, legs, ankles, arms, and abdomen. At Mount Sinai, we frequently perform the following procedures in our cath lab to correct problems that occur within patients’ blood vessels:
Angioplasty & Stents
Angioplasty is a commonly performed, minimally invasive interventional method to open blocked arteries. We use a thin tube or catheter and insert the catheter through a vein in your groin or at your wrist. Then, your Mount Sinai cardiovascular care team threads the catheter to the blockage. Once the catheter is positioned inside the artery at the blocked part, we inflate a tiny balloon at the end of the catheter. The balloon spreads open, or dilates, the artery and compresses the blockage – comprised of plaque – to increase blood flow. Finally, your Mount Sinai physician inserts a stent, which is a small rigid tube, to prevent the artery from becoming blocked again.
Arterial Thrombectomy
Arterial thrombectomy is a procedure your Mount Sinai interventional cardiologist performs to remove a blood clot, which is blood that has thickened and become partially solidified. Clots inside an artery can occur suddenly and can cause pain. We use a thin tube, or catheter, and insert the catheter through a vein in your groin or at your wrist. Then, your Mount Sinai cardiovascular care team threads the catheter to the blood clot. Once the catheter is positioned inside the artery where the clot is located, we use a needle to draw the clot into the tube, remove it, and restore blood flow.
Atherectomy
This non-surgical intervention removes plaque by inserting a thin tube or catheter into an artery that is partially blocked. The catheter is outfitted with a tiny drill or sharp blade at the end. We insert the catheter through a vein in your groin or at your wrist. Then, your Mount Sinai cardiovascular care team threads the catheter to the part of the artery where the blockage is located. Once the catheter is positioned inside the artery at the point of the blockage, we use the drill or blade to break up the plaque. In some cases, we let the broken pieces of plaque flow through the bloodstream, and in other cases, we use suction to pull the plaque into the catheter.
At Mount Sinai, we also use a laser option to vaporize the plaque and smooth the lining of the vessel. This treatment is sometimes used in conjunction with a balloon.
Heart & Valve Interventions
At Mount Sinai, we use our state-of-the-art cath lab to address heart disease and valve conditions without the need for open heart surgery. Using these catheter-based interventions, we’re able to help patients who might otherwise require invasive surgeries with long recoveries. Instead, these patients can often recover at home with far less pain and less risk.