Interventional cardiologists with The Heart Group of Lancaster General Health perform the most advanced catheter-based procedures for issues affecting your heart, lungs or blood vessels. Heart catheterization (heart cath) is an imaging technique used to diagnose heart problems and guide treatment.
What Is Heart Catheterization?
Heart catheterization, also called cardiac catheterization, refers to techniques involving a thin, flexible tube (catheter) threaded through a large blood vessel that leads to your heart.
Your specialist may use this technique to take heart tissue for analysis called cardiac biopsy or deliver treatments during the same procedure. Using small instruments attached to the tip of the catheter, your specialist can:
- Repair or replace heart valve
- Implant a stent (wire mesh tube) to keep artery open
- Repair a hole in the heart or other congenital (at birth) defect
- Remove calcium deposits in your arteries (rotablation)
- Take pictures of your coronary arteries
- Measure pressures inside your heart
Heart catheterization can help your specialist find out why you're experiencing symptoms such as shortness of breath (dyspnea) or chest discomfort. Because it's a less invasive procedure than surgery, you typically have fewer, smaller incisions and a faster recovery.
Your doctor may recommend heart catheterization to diagnose or treat:
Types of Heart Catheterization
We perform two main types of catheterization:
- Left heart catheterization and coronary angiogram involves moving the catheter through the aortic valve into the left side of your heart and taking pictures of your arteries.
- Right heart catheterization involves inserting the catheter through a vein to the right side of your heart to measure the pressures inside your heart.
Heart Catheterization: Why Choose Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health?
Cardiac catheterization procedures require deep experience and special expertise. As a national leader in interventional cardiology, we perform a high volume of catheter-based cardiovascular procedures with excellent outcomes and low risk of complications.
We offer:
- Specialized treatment: Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health is the only medical center in Lancaster County with a dedicated Interventional Cardiology Clinic. Our experts provide heart catheterizations with skill and compassion, so we can deliver the timely diagnosis and treatment you need.
- Streamlined care: You meet with your interventional cardiologist in the outpatient setting to review your care plan. We address all interventional issues, from diagnosis to stent placement and more. And we help you navigate other subspecialists when needed, so you get the right care from the right provider.
- Advanced diagnostics: We access state-of-the art heart assessment tools, so you can count on us to carefully choose the appropriate heart imaging and tests to pinpoint the exact cause of your symptoms and give you a precise diagnosis.
- Experienced leadership: Our team of fellowship-trained, board-certified interventional cardiologists performs more than 3,000 heart catheterizations every year. You can rest easy knowing you’re in the lands of leading physicians with deep expertise.
- Comprehensive support: We understand that when you have heart problems, your life changes. Our multidisciplinary team coordinates support services before and after you receive diagnosis and treatment, so you get the attention and care you deserve.
- Access to the latest research: We're actively involved in research and clinical trials to improve interventional cardiology procedures and get you the best results. Our ongoing participation in heart and vascular clinical trials and research means you may be able to try promising new therapies.
What Can I Expect During a Heart Catheterization?
Heart catheterization typically takes about an hour. You may receive mild sedation to help you relax.
Interventional cardiologists perform your procedure in a specialized catheterization lab (cath lab). Your doctor:
- Inserts a hollow tube or sheath into an artery or vein in your neck, arm or groin, and slides a smaller, thin tube (catheter) through the sheath
- Uses an external video monitor (screen) to thread the catheter through blood vessels to your heart, while you remain still
- May inject a small amount of contrast dye, so an X-ray camera can take movies (angiogram) of your heart's blood vessels, valves and chambers
- Removes the catheter and sheath at the end of the procedure
- Covers and bandages the catheter insertion site to prevent infection
Contact Us
To learn more about our interventional cardiology services, call 717-544-8300.