Cardiac Diagnostics. Lifesaving Interventions.

If you are one of the 22 million Americans who suffer from heart disease, you will be relieved to know that there are many treatment options that can save your life. Heart disease comes in many forms, the most common and easily treated of which is atherosclerosis. Occurring when fatty plaque progressively narrows the coronary arteries, atherosclerosis reduces blood flow to the heart and causes heart attacks or strokes.

Atherosclerosis can cause a variety of symptoms, including chest pain (angina) and a heart attack. So, if you have high cholesterol, high blood pressure, if you use tobacco, or if you have a family history of atherosclerosis, please talk to your physician about being tested for heart disease. Your physician can refer you to a cardiologist that practices at the Alta Bates Summit cardiac catherization lab, where you can receive diagnostics and life-saving interventions.

Cardiac catheterization is a definitive means of recognizing and treating heart disease. Our cardiologists perform procedures on an outpatient basis and usually in just a couple of hours. Cardiac catheterization allows us to measure vital information about the heart, blood pressure, blood oxygenation, the level of artery blockage, and the functioning of the heart muscle and valves.

During a cardiac catheterization, the cardiologist inserts a thin, flexible tube called a catheter through your arm or groin. The cardiologist then injects dye through the catheter and into the coronary arteries, allowing the team to view the arteries on a television monitor. If your arteries show important narrowing, the cardiologist may then use a non-surgical technique to unblock the arteries. Or we may schedule you for bypass surgery.

At Alta Bates Summit Medical Center, our team of cardiologists, technicians, and nurses diagnose and treat patients in our state-of-the-art cath labs. We use the latest equipment to obtain outstanding images, enabling us to get a more accurate and detailed view of the heart.

In 2005, we performed more than 2,260 diagnostic angiographies and more than 1,380 interventions. Our excellent outcomes for angioplasty, restenosis (recurrence of blockage), and event-free survival exceed national benchmarks.

In addition to coronary and valvular cardiac procedures, we diagnose and treat complex cardiac heartbeat irregularities. This field is known as cardiac electrophysiology. We insert pacemakers and defibrillators and use advanced 3D mapping systems to diagnose and ablate cardiac arrhythmias.

Another area of specialization in the cardiac catheterization laboratory is the closure of various defects between the left and right atria. These defects can result in a variety of symptoms. Previously, patients with these defects would undergo open-heart surgery to create the closure. But today, with sophisticated echocardiographic and x-ray imaging, we can close the defects through catheters in the groin.

Our long tradition of cardiovascular excellence gives you the diagnostic tools and treatments you need to live a full and healthy life.