Heart treatment and procedures

We provide advanced treatment plans and procedures at Ascension Saint Agnes to diagnose and treat your heart conditions.

Advanced treatment for cardiovascular conditions

Angioplasty and stenting is a procedure to improve the blood flow in an artery or vein. The carotid artery is a large artery running along each side of your neck. During the procedure, a thin flexible tube (catheter) is put into an artery in your groin. It's gently threaded up into the problem area in the carotid artery. The catheter has a tiny, deflated balloon at the tip. When it reaches the narrowed part of your carotid, the balloon is inflated. This opens up the narrowed area. This is called angioplasty.

A tiny mesh tube (stent) may be put into this area. It's left in place to help keep the artery open.

A thin tube (catheter) is placed into the heart through a blood vessel in the leg or arm. The pressures of the heart are measured A contrast agent can also be injected into the heart arteries or heart chambers while X-ray images are taken. This can identify structural problems of the heart as well as narrowing in the heart arteries.

Cardiac rehabilitation is a medically supervised program to help people who have heart disease. It's designed to improve heart recovery and your ability to function, and prepare you for future daily activities. It may be recommended if you have had a heart attack or heart surgery. Cardiac rehab can often help you get better at your daily tasks. It may ease your symptoms and give you a sense of well-being.

Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is treatment to help restore the normal rhythm (timing pattern) of the heartbeat. A CRT pacemaker is a specific type of pacemaker with an additional wire that goes to the left side of the heart. This allows it to coordinate the timing between the left and right sides of the heart.

This procedure uses radio frequency energy or freezing to get rid of problem areas in the heart that cause abnormal heart rhythm. The abnormal area is found during an electrophysiology study. This study maps the electrical activity that controls the heart rhythm. This procedure can diagnose and potentially cure abnormal heart rhythms.

A defibrillator wire is inserted into the heart and connected to an implanted device in the chest. It can send out electricity to either pace or shock the heart back into normal rhythm. This can be lifesaving when life-threatening rhythms are found.

Your cardiologist may recommend medications to help manage your heart condition. Mediation may be used to lower blood pressure, prevent blood clots, lower cholesterol and more.

Your cardiologist might recommend a pacemaker if you have irregular heartbeats, a slow heart rate or are experiencing heart block. A pacemaker helps keep your heart regulated by sending electric signals to your heart if it senses trouble. The device is implanted under the skin and helps improve symptoms such as fatigue, dizziness and fainting.

This procedure encompasses several types of procedures that are designed to improve blood flow through the coronary arteries, including:

Balloon angioplasty: This is also called PTCA (percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty). A small balloon is inflated inside a narrowed or blocked artery to re-establish blood flow. This is often done together with a tiny mesh coil (stent) placement.
Coronary artery stent: A tiny wire mesh coil is expanded inside the narrowed or blocked artery to open the blocked area. It's left in place to keep the artery open.
Atherectomy: The narrowed or blocked area inside the artery is shaved away by a tiny device on the end of a catheter.
Laser angioplasty: A laser is used to help open a blocked artery.

If you are experiencing chest pain, especially in combination with jaw or arm pain, lightheadedness, nausea, vomiting or difficulty breathing, you might be having a heart attack.

Call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room right away.