Cardiac Procedures

In this post, we have covered some of the common cardiac procedures used to diagnose and treat cardiovascular diseases. They include- cardiac catheterization, balloon angioplasty, stent placement, coronary artery bypass grafting (GABG) and cardiac ablation.

Health Teaching: Cardiac Catheterization

1. Cardiac catheterization is a procedure used to diagnose and treat several cardiovascular conditions. This procedure involves insertion of a long thin tube called catheter into a peripheral vein or into an artery in the groin or arm and then, lead into the heart.
2. This procedure helps in locating blockage in the blood vessels, such as, coronary arteries. The blockage can be secondary to plaque formation or a clot deposition, leading to chest pain and heart attack. Cardiac catheterization also helps in performing procedures, such as, coronary angioplasty and stent placement.
3. Catheterization also helps in checking the pressures in different chambers of the heart. This can help diagnose any deficiencies with regards to the efficiency of heart as a pump, helping to move the blood forward in the circulation pathway, diagnose any conditions of the heart, such as valvular defects, resulting in decreased output and backup of blood and performing procedures, such as, repairing a leaky valve or a valvuloplasty.
4. Cardiac catheterization also helps with ablation of abnormal structures causing altered conduction rhythms in the heart.

Balloon Angioplasty

1. This is a surgical procedure used to restore patency in a blood vessel that has collapsed.
2. The narrowing or collapse of a vessel can be secondary to plaque formation or a clot deposition in the wall of the vessel. This can result in poor supply of oxygen and nutrients to the parts distal to the obstruction.
3. The narrowing of blood vessels can occur in any arteries, such as in the chest or in the extremities.
4. Balloon angioplasty is a procedure in which a small inflatable balloon catheter is introduced through an incision on the skin and advanced to the point of narrowing. When the balloon is at the narrowing of the artery, it is inflated to expand the artery at the point of narrowing, so that, it will accommodate more volume of blood to pass through.

Stent Placement

1. This is a surgical procedure used to restore patency in a blood vessel that has collapsed.
2. The narrowing or collapse of a vessel can be secondary to plaque formation or a clot deposition in the wall of the vessel. This can result in poor supply of oxygen and nutrients to the parts distal to the obstruction.
3. The narrowing of blood vessels can occur in any arteries, such as in the chest or in the extremities.
4. Then, a mesh coil called stent is left in place at the site of narrowing, which will help keep this portion of the artery from collapsing back again, after the procedure is completed.

Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (GABG)

1. Coronary artery bypass grafting, in short, is called CABG.
2. CABG is one mode of surgical treatment for patients with poor blood supply to the heart muscle, due to blocked coronary arteries.
3. Heart muscle is supplied with oxygen-rich blood by the coronary arteries.
4. Sometimes, the coronary arteries get blocked by deposition of cholesterol. This will reduce the size of the artery lumen and consequently, will lead to diminished blood flow beyond the point of obstruction.
5. Reduced blood supply to the heart muscle will lead to the patient presenting with chest pain, which is heart attack.
6. A healthy artery or vein from the body is connected to the blocked coronary artery, distal to the block. This helps blood to pass around the block and provide oxygen and nourishment to the heart muscle.

Cardiac Ablation

1. Occasionally, small areas in the heart can initiate electrical signal resulting in a beat that is not in synchronization with the regular heartbeat initiated in the natural pacemaker of the heart.
2. This abnormal beat can be totally out of place and result in abnormal rhythms, sometimes leading to an ineffective and abnormally increased heartbeat.
3. Cardiac ablation is a procedure used to destroy such areas in the heart generating abnormal electrical signals.
4. The site for source of the abnormal rhythm is identified first. Cardiac ablation can be performed using either heat (radio frequency ablation) or very cold temperatures (cryoablation).
5. The procedure results in scarring of the tissue causing these abnormal rhythms, thereby, inhibiting the initiation of these rhythms. Inhibition of abnormal rhythm can help promotion of the normal rhythm initiated in the natural pacemaker of the heart without any interference.