Cardiac Catheterization Program at UPMC Presbyterian
The Cardiac Catheterization Program at UPMC Presbyterian is staffed with specialists in the management of patients needing elective and emergency catheterization, such as those with unstable angina pectoris, acute myocardial infarction (heart attack), and cardiogenic shock.
Treatment involves the use of a catheter — a long tube that can be threaded into the arteries to bring miniature cameras and instruments to a disease site in the heart or blood vessels. Program doctors can diagnose blockages in the arteries that supply the heart.
Often doctors can restore blood flow to threatened heart tissues without surgery, by using the catheter to reopen the blocked artery, and hold it open with a small, meshwork collar called a stent.
Emergency and Critical Care Treatment
The Chest Pain Center at UPMC Presbyterian's Emergency Department is designed for the rapid evaluation of patients with suspected heart attack. A person who is diagnosed with a heart attack may be admitted immediately to a cardiac intensive care unit or intermediate care unit or transported directly to the cardiac catheterization laboratories.
The program offers treatment for very common conditions such as angina (chest pain) and myocardial infarction (heart attack). UPMC cardiologists have experience in treating the most difficult of cases using stents, intravascular ultrasound, and distal embolic protection devices, among many others. UPMC physicians were one of the first groups in the country to have the newest drug-coated stents. These stents release a drug into the blood-vessel wall that significantly decreases the likelihood of renarrowing.
UPMC Presbyterian's cardiac catheterization laboratories are staffed around the clock with specialists in emergency catheterization for life-threatening conditions such as unstable angina pectoris, acute myocardial infarction, and cardiogenic shock. These physicians have particular expertise in the care of acutely ill patients, many of whom arrive by helicopter.
Speeding Heart Attack Treatment
To help speed the delivery of lifesaving angioplasty to heart attack patients, UPMC Presbyterian has instituted a door-to-balloon-time protocol, which aims to assess patients before they arrive at the Emergency Department and streamline the triage process, so that -- if needed -- they are more quickly routed to the cardiac catheritization lab.
Our physicians work with local EMS providers to help train them on delivery of electrocardiogram (EKG) testing on the patient while en route to the hospital. The EKG results are sent via wireless technology to UPMC Presbyterian's Command Center, which notifies the ED. A patient's condition can be assessed before he or she arrives, and physicians and staff can prepare to treat the patient. UPMC Presbyterian's door-to-balloon time -- the time from when a patient enters the door to when they have angioplasty -- is typically less than 90 minutes.
UPMC cardiologists are well equipped to treat the sickest cardiac patients. The program offers experience in treating patients with heart failure and severe valvular heart disease, as well as those with debilitating atherosclerosis. UPMC Presbyterian offers the latest treatment of these conditions, including external counterpulsation therapy (EECP) and placement of cardiac support devices such as intra-aortic balloon pumps.
Other Heart Conditions
The cardiac catheterization laboratories also provide evaluation and treatment of valvular heart disease, congestive heart failure, and life-threatening irregular heartbeats. Digital imaging technologies now promise to enhance accuracy and accessibility of data for physicians caring for UPMC patients.
Research
Our interventional cardiologists are committed not only to the treatment of patients with cardiovascular disease, but are also at the forefront of innovation and research to develop newer and better techniques. Program cardiologists are conducting studies to determine the importance of pharmacogenomics – looking at a patient's specific genetic makeup and prescribing treatments precisely suited to be most effective.
Learn more about cardiovascular research.