Cardiovascular Diseases in Minnesota

Mayo Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory

Recently, Mayo Clinic installed the Stereotaxis state-of-the-art computerized magnetic guidance system, which allows physicians to use magnets to remotely manipulate wires and catheters in the heart. This new technology will make more complicated procedures possible in less time, possibly eliminating the need for surgery in some patients.

The Mayo Clinic Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory's history spans 50 years of innovation and leadership in cardiac diagnosis and therapy. Mayo Clinic was among the pioneering centers developing diagnostic techniques for cardiac catheterization. More recently, Mayo Clinic has been a leader in the new area of cardiac therapeutics, first with balloon angioplasty and congenital heart disease, and more recently with balloon valvuloplasty, septal ablation and gene therapy.

The Mayo Clinic Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory (Cath Lab) works closely with the Mayo Interventional Clinic, which provides rapid access for patients needing cardiac catheterization. The tradition of leadership and innovation continues today in the Cath Lab.

Current services

Specialists in the Cath Lab perform invasive cardiac procedures for patients with heart disease. Last year, over 7,000 patients were studied and over 1,700 interventions performed. The Cath Lab offers the full spectrum of diagnostic and interventional procedures for coronary, valvular, and congenital heart disease, including the following services:

• Heart catheterization
• Diagnostic coronary angiography
• Left and right heart hemodynamic assessment
• Coronary physiology and endothelial and microcirculation assessment
• Percutaneous coronary intervention (balloons and stents for coronary artery disease)
• Assessment and treatment of valvular heart disease (including mitral valvuloplasty and aortic valvuloplasty and new investigational therapies)
• Full range of services for the transplant patient, including surveillance biopsies and ultrasound
• Cardiac assist devices
• Enhanced external counterpulsation (EECP) treatment of refractory angina (for patients unable to tolerate bypass surgery or balloon angioplasty)

Treatment of Children and Adolescents at Mayo Clinic
Services within the Mayo Clinic Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory in Rochester are available for patients of all ages, from infancy to adulthood. The catheterization laboratory works closely with specialized pediatric cardiologists when infants or children with congenital heart problems need heart catheterization. Most have been diagnosed with congenital heart defects. For some patients, in addition to diagnostic testing with echocardiography or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), cardiac catheterization is necessary to obtain further information about the function and structure of the heart.

The cardiac catheterization laboratory staff provides a broad range of diagnostic and interventional capabilities, with expertise and extensive experience in catheter-based therapy, including balloon valvuloplasty, balloon angioplasty and/or stent implantation to enlarge a narrowed blood vessel, and device closure procedures. Many patients need closure of holes in their hearts, such as atrial septal defects (ASD), patent ductus arteriosus, and/or patent foramen ovale (PFO). At Mayo Clinic, these closures can, in most cases, be accomplished with a catheter-based procedure rather than open-heart surgery. State-of-the-art equipment, including echocardiography, is available at all times in the cardiac catheterization laboratory.

The Cath Lab is also collaborating and offering new treatments for systemic vascular disease including:

• Carotid artery stenting for carotid artery disease
• Treatments for peripheral vascular disease, for example in the legs or kidneys
• New protocols and devices for treatment of valvular heart disease, for stenosis and regurgitation

Appointments

Most patients are referred to the Cath Lab by their primary physician. Generally, next day access is available for all patients. To schedule an appointment, call (507) 284-3994, Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., Central Time.

Physician Staff

Charanjit S. Rihal, M.D. – Director

Adult Cardiologists
Gregory W. Barsness, M.D.
Malcolm R. Bell, M.D.
Patricia J.M. Best, M.D.
Barry A. Borlaug, M.D.
John F. Bresnahan, M.D.
Charles R. Cagin, D.O.
Robert P. Frantz, M.D.
Rajiv Gulati, M.D., Ph.D.
David R. Holmes, Jr., M.D.
Andre C. Lapeyre, III, M.D.
Amir Lerman, M.D.
Verghese Mathew, M.D.
Joseph G. Murphy, M.D.
Rick A. Nishimura, M.D.
Krishna M. Pamulapati, M.D.
Abrahim Prasad, M.D.
Guy S. Reeder, M.D.
Gurpreet S. Sandhu, M.D., Ph.D.
Robert D. Simari, M.D.
Mandeep Singh, M.D.
Ripudamanjit Singh, M.D.
Paul Sorajja, M.D.
R. Thomas Tilbury, M.D.
Henry H. Ting, M.D.

Pediatric Cardiologists
Allison Cabalka, M.D.
Frank Cetta Jr., M.D.
Donald J. Hagler, M.D.

Pediatric Radiologist
Paul Julsrud, M.D.

Medical Physicist
Jack T. Cusma, Ph.D.
Kenneth A. Fetterly, Ph.D.