Interventional Procedures

Angiojet

angiojetFix angiojet9Using cardiac catheterization, a high speed jet is inserted into a blocked or narrowed vessel. The jet is used to break up and suck out thrombus (clot) in coronary arteries. By shooting high-power jets of saline through an opening in the tip of the device, it uses applied physics to create a 360-degree vacuum that breaks up and sucks out clots. The jet directs its flow back into a vacuum, helping to restore blood flow to the treated vessel.

Coronary Stent

stent3 stent2A stent is a small stainless steel scaffolding device that is permanently placed in an artery to keep it open. It is positioned using cardiac catheterization and is gently threaded through a catheter to a narrowed section of artery. Once in place, the stent is expanded and deployed, thus widening the passage for increased blood flow.

Drug Eluting Stent

stentde3A stent coated with a thin polymer containing medication that can prevent the formation of scar tissue at the site of coronary intervention and thus decreasing the chance of restenosis, or a reclosing of the artery.

Rotational Atherectomy

rotationalUsing cardiac catheterization, a small guide wire is passed through a narrowing in a cardiac vessel. At the end of the guide wire is a teardrop shaped structure on a shaft with the surface of a burr. The burr, which rotates at 180,000 r.p.m., is tipped with electroplated diamond particles. With this device the cardiologist can sand a passage through the vessel narrowing to create a larger channel. This procedure is best suited to eradicating calcified obstructions and also for anatomical bifurcations.

Carotid Stent

carotidst2Located on either side of the neck, carotid arteries serve as the main passageway for blood to flow to the brain. Atherosclerotic plaque buildup in the carotid arteries can prevent blood from reaching parts of the brain, causing shortages of oxygen which, in turn, can result in stroke. A stent is a small metal-mesh tube-like scaffolding device that can be placed inside an artery to keep it open and allow blood to flow past plaque blockages. Carotid stenting is a new treatment that provides an effective means of keeping arterial passageways open and allowing blood flow through blocked carotid arteries.

Peripheral Stent

carotidstA peripheral stent is a stent that is not placed in the heart. It is placed within the body’s vascular system, such as the iliac (pelvis), renal (kidney), carotid (neck), and femoral-popliteal (leg) arteries