Interventional Cardiology

Hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM) is an inherited condition in which one part of the heart enlarges. The resulting asymmetry of the heart blocks outflows, so people with the condition are unable to get adequate blood to the rest of their body. Alcohol septal ablation allows interventional cardiologists to inject alcohol into one of the blood vessels that supplies blood to the thickened area so that blood outflow can return to normal.

Percutaneous coronary intervention often involves the placement of coronary stents to open blocked arteries to treat accumulated plaque. Stent procedures are performed through a catheter in the groin or wrist.

The heart is protected in the chest wall by a lining (pericardium) over the entire muscle. While there is normally very little fluid between the heart muscle and pericardium, certain conditions such as cancer, infection and kidney disease can cause fluid to build up, putting pressure on the heart and making it unable to beat normally. The solution is to drain the fluid, either surgically by cutting a hole in the pericardium, or through a drain inserted through the skin.

For high-risk patients with severe aortic stenosis, TAVR procedures allow blocked valves to be replaced through a less invasive procedure using a small wire.

Valvuloplasty is a procedure where a balloon-tipped catheter is threaded from the groin to the site of the narrowed valve, where the balloon is repeatedly inflated to enlarge the valve opening and improve blood flow in patients with narrowed or blocked cardiac valves.

Symptoms of narrowed or blocked cardiac valves may include blood pressure abnormalities, shortness of breath, chest pain, irregular heartbeat or fainting.