Heart Catheterization

Overview

Mayo Clinic has led new developments in cardiac catheterization for more than 50 years. Mayo was among the first centers in the world to develop and refine diagnostic techniques via cardiac catheterization and is now a leader in catheter-based therapeutics, allowing more patients to avoid open-heart surgery or to be helped in situations in which surgery is not an option. Read more about types of procedures performed.

Mayo Clinic's catheterization laboratories (CL) treat patients in both emergency and elective situations. In treating heart attacks, when speed and accuracy are key, Mayo Clinic has one of the fastest "door to balloon" times in the nation, averaging about 60 minutes from the time a patient arrives in the emergency department to location of the obstruction and opening of the blocked artery in the CL.

Thousands of patients with chronic coronary artery disease, unexplained chest pain, valve disease, congenital heart defects or other heart disorders also are referred for elective procedures to Mayo Clinic's CL every year. The CL team in Minnesota includes specialist pediatric cardiologists who carry out many advanced diagnostic studies and therapeutic procedures in more than 300 infants and children each year. These procedures include the nonsurgical closure of congenital heart defects, balloon dilation and stent placement. Read more about treatment in children.

Vascular disease beyond the immediate area of the heart, such as carotid artery and peripheral vascular disease affecting the kidneys or legs, is also treated in the CL in collaboration with other Mayo Clinic specialists.

The Mayo Clinic CL staff has access to state-of-the-art technology. For example, at Mayo Clinic in Minnesota a stereotaxis magnetic navigation system allows physicians to reach complex coronary artery blockages where previous attempts at treatment have been unsuccessful.

A recent innovation in patient care is the Interventional Cardiology Clinic in Minnesota, which integrates catheterization procedures into a clinical setting and allows patients to consult with Mayo Clinic physicians and be treated in the CL soon after, usually the same day. Read more about the Interventional Cardiology Clinic.

About cardiac catheterization

Cardiac catheterization involves the use of catheters (long, thin, flexible plastic tubes), x-ray imaging (fluoroscopy) and usually contrast dye (angiography) to diagnose and sometimes also treat heart and blood vessel conditions. An advantage of cardiac catheterization is that depending on what is revealed, diagnosis can often be immediately followed by catheter-based treatment.

As a diagnostic tool, cardiac catheterization can provide more detailed information than may be possible to obtain with other tests. As a treatment tool, it is much less invasive than other options, such as open-heart surgery.