Treatments for heart and vascular disorders are as varied as the diseases themselves. They may include changes in lifestyle, medications, surgery or what are called "interventions." Interventions involve inserting catheters (thin, flexible tubes) through a small incision into various blood vessels. Instruments such as a balloon or stent, then are gently led through the catheters during treatments.
Advances in methods and instrumentation for such highly skilled, less-invasive interventions allow many patients to avoid major surgery completely, often leaving the hospital within a day or two of treatment. Most interventions are performed in a cardiac catheterization laboratory (cath lab) and not a surgical unit.
Partial list of Treatments and Interventions available:
- Angioplasty
- Stents
- Drug-eluting Stents
- Intravascular Radiation Therapy
- Intravascular Ultrasound
- Aneurysm Coiling
- Intra-arterial Thrombolysis for Acute Stroke
