Interventional Cardiology | Knoxville Heart Group

Interventional cardiology is the use of non-surgical procedures to treat cardiac conditions percutaneouslythrough a needle puncturetothe skin.Our interventional cardiologistswill guide a thin flexible tube called a catheter through a vein or artery in your arm or leg to your heart.

Hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM) is an inherited condition in which one part of the heart enlarges. The resulting asymmetry of the heart blocks outflows, so people with the condition are unable to get adequate blood to the rest of their bodies. In the past, the only treatments were with medication; or with medication and surgery, in which the surgeon would cut off the enlarged part of the heart that was blocking outflows.

Nowalcohol septal ablation allows interventional cardiologists to inject alcohol into one of the blood vessels that supplies blood to the thickened area. The ablation blocks blood flow to the area, causing it to die and shrink so that the previously blocked blood outflow can return to normal.

Percutaneous Coronary Interventionoften involves the placement of coronary stents to open blocked arteries to treat accumulated plaque. Stent procedures are performed through a catheter in the groin or wrist.

The heart is protected in the chest wall by a lining (pericardium) over the entire muscle. While there is normally very little fluid between the heart muscle and pericardium, certain conditions such as cancer, infection, and kidney disease can cause fluid to build up, putting pressure on the heart and making it unable to beat normally. The solution is to drain the fluid, either surgically by cutting a hole in the pericardium, or through a percutaneous procedure to insert a drain.

For high-risk patients with severe aortic stenosis, open heart surgery is a dangerous solution to a painful problem.TAVR allows blocked valvesto bereplaced endovascularly using a small wire. Click here to learn more.

Valvuloplasty is a procedure where a balloon-tipped catheter is threaded from the groin to the site of the narrowed valve, where the balloon is repeatedly inflated to enlarge the valve opening and improve blood flow in patients with narrowed or blocked cardiac valves.

Symptoms of narrowed or blocked cardiac valves may include blood pressure abnormalities, shortness of breath, chest pain, irregular heartbeat, or fainting.

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Interventional Cardiology | Knoxville Heart Group