As supported through research and advanced training, beating heart bypass, endoscopic vein harvesting and sutureless bypass are among the cardiovascular techniques provided by a team of cardiovascular surgeons on the medical staff at Houston Northwest Medical Center.

A Multidetector CT produces detailed 3-D cardiovascular images and enables cardiologists to view hard-to-see vessels with clarity.

What is a Cardiac Catheterization (Cath)?

Cardiac catheterization (Cath) is a procedure, also known as a arteriogram. A slender tube (catheter) is inserted into a blood vessel in the groin or wrist and guided through the arteries into the heart where the coronary arteries are visualized by injecting a "contrast dye." X-rays are taken to monitor the dye as it flows through the arteries. This allows the cardiologist to visualize the coronary arteries to determine if the arteries narrow or are blocked by build up of plaque which can restrict blood flow and oxygen supply to the heart.

The lab features digital catheterization technology that produces images of the heart designed to help doctors make better decisions about treating heart disease. In the Heart Center’s cath lab, a dedicated cath lab team, which includes a number of specially trained technicians and nurses who assist physicians with a variety of treatment procedures support cardiologists on the medical staff.

Stress Testing

In an effort to measure the heart’s general condition, the Diagnostics Cardiology Laboratory conducts an exercise stress test, which is a general screening tool to test the effect of exercise on the heart. During the test, the electrical activity of the heart is measured while the patient walks on a treadmill or pedals a stationary bicycle. This measures the heart's reaction to the body's increased demand for oxygen.

There are several types of stress tests performed at Houston Northwest Medical Center. Some tests use a mildly radioactive dye that allows physicians to see where the heart is not getting enough blood supply while the patient is exercising, while others use medications to simulate exercise if the patient is unable to use the treadmill.

Echocardiograms

Another test performed at Houston Northwest Medical Center is an echocardiogram, a test that uses sound waves to create a moving picture of the heart. The picture is much more detailed than X-ray image and involves no radiation exposure.

Coronary Stenting

The Heart Center uses a device called a stent, a wire mesh tube, to help keep an artery open after an angioplasty. The stent stays permanently in the artery. Among the stents used at Houston Northwest Medical Center include an advanced drug-eluting stent designed to reduce or eliminate the scar tissue that can sometimes form within an artery causing that artery to renarrow.

Pacemakers

Patients at the Heart Center with congestive heart failure can also benefit from new implanted pacemaker technology that helps the pumping chamber of the heart work more efficiently.

Cath Lab Services Include:

Permanent Pacemaker Placement

Cardiac Catheterization (diagnostic)
      - Angiogram
      - Venogram

Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty (PTCA)

Coronary Stenting

EP Studies

Rotoblator

Directional Coronary Atherectomy (DCA)

Cardioversion

Internal Automatic Cardiac Defibrillator

Radio Frequency Ablation

Percutaneous Peripheral Angiography and Revascularization