The Heart Center | Cardiac Cath Lab | Electrophysiology | Peripheral Vascular Lab |
Cardiac & Pulmonary Rehabilitation | Women’s HeartAdvantage™ | Oncology Cardiology Psychosocial Program
Interventional Cardiac Cath Lab
The cardiologists at La Porte Regional Health System are committed to providing the highest quality cardiac care for individuals affected by heart and vascular disease. The Interventional Cardiac Cath Lab allows them to provide a wide range of diagnostic testing to diagnose heart and vascular conditions and provide treatment.
Patients who find themselves in the Cath Lab are usually those experiencing a heart attack, chest pains or following up on symptoms related to potential cardiovascular disease.
Procedures performed in the Cath Lab are generally less traumatic to the patient with minimal pain, shorter recovery time and less cost. The cardiologists use x-ray and other imaging techniques to see inside the body to guide narrow tubes (catheters) and other very small instruments through blood vessels and other pathways to treat a variety of medical disorders. These procedures often help a patient avoid surgery.
Some of the procedures offered throught the Cath Lab include:
• Cardiac angiogram
• Intravascular ultrasound
• Intra-aorta balloon pump
• Carotid angiography
• Coronary angioplasty
• Temporary pacemakers
• Coronary stenting
• Fractional flow measurement
• Cardiac monitoring
• Peripheral angiography, angioplasty and stent placement
• Rescue percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) commonly known as balloon angioplasty
For more information, call the Interventional Cardiac Cath Lab at (219) 326-2602 or toll free at (800) 235-6204 extension 2602.
The GE Innova® 3100
The GE Innova® 3100 is an all-digital X-ray imaging system used to perform both cardiac and peripheral vascular procedures all on one machine - all in the same room. This system allows the physician to view even the smallest blood vessels during diagnostic procedures and treat potential blockages in the coronary or peripheral arteries. It allows the physician to easily visualize vascular detail through any body thickness, while keeping patient radiation dose at its lowest, with the use of a flat panel digital detector.
The detailed images allow physicians to treat their patients using minimally invasive techniques in lieu of major surgery without leaving the Cath Lab.
Features and Benefits include:
• The ability to view hard-to-see small blood vessels and anatomy with greater clarity, even in patients who are generally more difficult to image.
• Revolutionary image quality that allows physicians to visualize the smallest medical instruments and devices such as catheters, guidewires and stents during procedures that require exacting precision.
• Considerable reduction in overall radiation exposure needed for an exam compared to conventional systems.
For more information regarding the GE Innova® 3100, call the Cath Lab at (219) 326-2309 or toll free (800) 235-6204 extension 2309.
CliRpath® Cool Laser Ablation System
CliRpath® Cool Laser Ablation System by Spectranetics® uses light to vaporize and remove blockages inside blood vessels. The treatment has proven so effective that it is another option— new hope—for some who aren’t candidates for traditional surgery to improve circulation, or are facing life-threatening complications such as infection and amputation.
On the surface, the procedure looks to be much like an angioplasty. In a tiny fraction of a second—125 billionths to be exact—the laser emits ultraviolet light pulses that hit the blockage inside the vessel and break it into microscopic particles, small enough to be washed downstream through the vessel and cause no harm to the body.
La Porte Hospital is the only facility in the area offering the cool laser ablation; it is performed by Joseph Rosenblum, DO, and the cath lab team.
For more information, call Arleen Francis, BSN, RN, CCM, Cardiovascular Nurse Navigator, at
(219) 326-2626.