When a patient is diagnosed with aortic valve stenosis and he or she is not a good candidate for surgery, transcatheter aortic valve replacement is a minimally invasive treatment option. Without opening up the person’s chest, the TAVR procedure relieves the side effects of the condition, which include tightness in the chest, fatigue, shortness of
Vascular studies are a noninvasive (the skin is not pierced) procedure used to assess the blood flow in arteries and veins. What to Expect A transducer (like a microphone) sends out ultrasonic sound waves at a frequency too high to be heard. When the transducer is placed on the skin at certain locations and angles,
Like an echocardiogram, the transesophageal echocardiogram uses ultrasound to create images, however the images are much clearer. What to Expect TEE involves passing a special ultrasound scope through your mouth into your esophagus and close to the heart to take images. This test gives your physician more detailed answers of your heart function. Preparation You
A diagnostic ultrasound image is produced by specialized equipment and uses high-frequency sound waves to view areas inside the body. Carotid Ultrasound A painless and harmless test that uses high-frequency sound waves to create images of the insides of the the two large arteries in your neck. Abdominal Ultrasound Uses reflected sound waves to produce
Congestive heart failure is diagnosed when the heart is unable to pump adequate amounts of blood to meet the demands of your body’s organs. A normal heart on the left and a congested heart on the right. Congestive Heart Failure Symptoms When this happens some, or all, of the following symptoms may be present: Trouble
Cardiac catheterization is a test to evaluate the health of your heart and coronary arteries. What to Expect It is used to monitor the blood flow and blood pressure in the chambers of your heart and blood flow within your coronary arteries. Defects in the movement of the heart wall can also be detected. A
What to Expect The micro-incisions are so small that they are closed with sterile tape and not stitches. Once healed they are rarely visible. Bruising will occur and will take a few weeks to go away. A compression bandage is worn for only 3 or 4 days. When removed patients are amazed how good the
Acute myocardial infarction, or myocardial infarction, is more commonly known as a heart attack. Different treatment options to be considered include angioplasty and stent placement, thrombolytic therapy (clot-busting medication) alone or with other medications, and/or coronary artery by-pass surgery. What is an Acute MI? A heart attack occurs when the blood supply is interrupted to
Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is performed to close damaged and malfunctioning veins that are responsible for causing varicose veins. What to Expect Varicose veins do not function properly and do not return blood back to the heart. The pressure that causes these veins to enlarge can also eventually damage normal surrounding tissue and overlying skin. RFA
Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO) – a congenital condition in which a small, flap-like opening between the right and left upper chambers of the heart doesn’t close properly. The procedure to close it involves using a catheter to insert a small, permanent device in the heart wall to stop the abnormal blood flow between the two
