CARDIAC CATHETERIZATION LABORATORY
In Enloe Medical Center’s Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory (also known at the “Cath Lab”), board-certified cardiologists collaborate with an integrated team to make diagnoses and offer a full range of diagnostic and therapeutic treatments.
Catheterization procedures involve inserting a flexible, hollow tube (called a catheter) in the patient’s groin or arm, then threading the catheter through major arteries and veins to the patient’s heart. Enloe uses digital imaging equipment to enable cardiologists to better diagnose and treat heart disease. This technology is also designed to improve patient safety and reduce radiation exposure.
Common procedures include:
• Coronary Angiograms: This imaging helps identify atherosclerosis (the buildup of fat and cholesterol plaque in the arteries) and other types of blockages in the coronary system.
• Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasties (PTCA): In PTCA procedures, the Cath Lab team treats blocked coronary arteries with balloons to open the vessels and measure blood flow.
• Coronary Stenting: This procedure, which can augment a PTCA, involves placing a small, expandable coil (“stent”) in the diseased segment of the vessel. This will reinforce the vessel, providing a more enduring result than angioplasty alone.
• Electrophysiology Services (EPS): EPS comprises diagnostic and therapeutic procedures for abnormalities in the electrical system of the heart — including implantation of pacemakers and intra-cardiac defibrillators.
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