The Interventional Cardiology Program at We Care India partner hospitals includes a team of dedicated interventional cardiologists, nurses, and technicians.
They provide the highest quality of care to patients experiencing the following : -
undiagnosed chest pain syndromes
chronic angina
unstable angina
acute myocardial infarction
valvular heart disease
congestive heart failure
Many patients experiencing the above conditions benefit from cardiac catheterization - using angioplasty and stenting-for the relief of blockages in the heart. Our program's angioplasty/stent success rate, which ranks among the best cardiovascular centers nationwide, is more than 95 percent and its complication rate below 3 percent. Fewer than one half of one percent of the patients treated by angioplasty/stents requires emergency bypass surgery.
The following tests and procedures are performed in-house by our outstanding interventional cardiologists and staff : -
Diagnostic and Therapeutic Interventional catheterization
Coronary Stents
Angioplasty
Rotablator
Thrombolectomy
Balloon Valvuloplasty
Cardiac biopsy
Brachytherapy
Closure of patent foramen ovale and atrial septal defects with CardioSEAL® and the Amplatzer Septal Occluder System
Interventional cardiologists at the We Care India partner hospital are dedicated full-time to interventional cardiology and diagnostic cardiac catheterization procedures and perform nearly 11,000 procedures each year, including 1,000 interventions (stents, balloons, etc.). Only faculty members from the Interventional Cardiology Program are permitted to perform interventional cardiology procedures at the We Care India partner hospital
In addition, our program is also the largest balloon valvuloplasty center in the region and one of the largest in the country.
The latest in cutting-edge myocardial infarction treatment is available at our hospital. Such treatments include the use of primary angioplasty with stenting and the new platelet inhibitors. Our team is also breaking new ground in the emergency room by using new thrombolytic agents in combination with new classes of drugs including IIb/IIIa inhibitors.
A number of new devices and treatments are being used in the catheterization laboratory for patients who can not be treated with conventional medical or surgical techniques.
Drug-Eluting Stents : -
When a bare metal stent is implanted in a blocked artery, there is a risk that the buildup of plaque will recur around the stent several months after implantation, a condition called restenosis. If this happens, additional procedures may be required.
Drug-eluting stents are a dramatic technological advancement, which have been proven to significantly reduce the risk of restenosis among patients. These stents are lined with medication which inhibit the build up of plaque in the artery directly around the stent, allowing blood to flow. Penn Cardiac Care interventional cardiologists were among the few in the country to help develop these stents and participated in a study which evaluated their effectiveness. While the risk of restenosis with traditional stents is 20 percent, the study indicated that drug-eluting stents decrease the risk to just five percent, allowing patients to avoid additional interventions and maintain their lifestyle.
Following the recent approval of drug-eluting stents by the Food and Drug Administration, our doctors are implanting them in most patients. To learn if you are a candidate for this procedure, please speak to your doctor.
What is interventional cardiology ?
Interventional cardiology refers to various non-surgical procedures for treating cardiovascular disease. Interventional cardiologists use catheters - thin, flexible tubes - to get inside blood vessels for diagnostic tests or to repair damaged vessels or other heart structures, often avoiding the need for surgery.
What types of heart disease are treated with interventional cardiology ?
Interventional cardiologists treat narrowed arteries and weakened heart valves - often caused by coronary artery disease, heart valve disease, or peripheral vascular disease.
Coronary artery disease is the narrowing of the coronary arteries, the tubes which supply the heart muscle with blood and oxygen. This narrowing of the arteries is caused by atherosclerosis - the buildup of fatty deposits, cholesterol, calcium, and plaque on the inner surface of the arteries. Atherosclerosis restricts blood flow to the heart, which can lead to heart attack or other heart problems. Symptoms may include angina (intermittent chest pain), shortness of breath, sweating, nausea, and/or weakness.
Heart Valve Disease involves heart valves that are not working correctly to regulate the flow of blood through the heart chambers. This can arise from birth defects or through damage by rheumatic fever, bacterial infection, or heart attacks. Valves also can degenerate with the normal aging process. To compensate, your heart must pump harder, and may be unable to supply adequate blood circulation to the rest of your body. Two common forms of heart valve disease are aortic valve stenosis and mitral valve regurgitation. Symptoms may include shortness of breath, chest pain, swelling of the ankles and legs, fatigue, dizziness, and/or fainting.
Peripheral Vascular Disease involves the other arteries that run throughout your body. Like the coronary arteries in your heart, these vessels can become clogged and hardened through atherosclerosis, and can increase your risk for high blood pressure, heart attack, and stroke, or limb loss. Symptoms may also include pain in the leg muscles (particularly calves and thighs) and/or severe aching pain in your toes or feet at night.
How is cardiac catheterization used to diagnose cardiovascular disease ?
Cardiac catheterization is a test used to evaluate your coronary arteries and heart valve function, It will identify the size and location of plaques that may have built up in your arteries from atherosclerosis, the strength of your heart muscle, and the adequacy of valve function. To start the cardiac catheterization, the interventional cardiologist threads a catheter (thin flexible tube) through a blood vessel in your arm or groin and into your heart.
With the catheter in place, the cardiologist can measure blood pressure, take blood samples, and inject dyes into your coronary arteries or arteries elsewhere in your body to trace the movement of blood through the arteries and chambers of the heart. By watching the dye move through your heart's chambers and blood vessels, your cardiologist can see whether the arteries are narrowed or blocked, and whether the valves are working properly. This helps determine whether you may need bypass or valve surgery (by a cardiac surgeon) or angioplasty or catheter-based valve repair (by an interventional cardiologist).
What types of procedures do interventional cardiologists perform ?
Interventional cardiologists at We Care India partner hospital select one or a combination of procedures best-suited to each patient.
Procedures include : -
Angioplasty and stenting : - A long, slender tube is inserted through a blood vessel in your leg or wrist, and guided to the heart or elsewhere in your body. A dye is injected through the arteries to guide the cardiologist during the stenting procedure. A balloon at the tip of the catheter is inflated to stretch open the artery and restore increased blood flow to the heart. In most cases, a small metal mesh cylinder called a stent is then placed in the vessel to help keep it open.
Atherectomy : - Devices with tiny blades are sometimes used to cut away plaque deposits caused by atherosclerosis inside the blood vessel.
Carotid Stenting : - Similarly, balloons and stents can be used to open the carotid arteries, the main blood vessels to the brain, and thereby lessen the risk of stroke. This procedure was just recently approved by the FDA.
Embolic protection : - In some cases, particularly when the narrowing being treated is in a bypass graft or in the carotid arteries, filters and other specialized devices are used to help ensure that pieces of the plaque don't break off and travel in the blood to cause damage.
Percutaneous mitral valve repair : - A catheter is introduced through a blood vessel in your leg and guided through a vein to the heart. Smaller catheters holding a special clip is guided into place and positioned near to, or actually attached to, the mitral valve to make it function properly. This is a very new procedure and We Care India partner hospital is one of just a few centers in the world participating in the clinical trials for this procedure.
What is a drug-coated stent ?
A stent is a mesh metal tube inserted after angioplasty to keep the artery propped open. Drug-coated stents (also called drug-eluting stents) provide an additional benefit: They release a medication that prevents scarring during the first few weeks after insertion, when scarring is most likely to occur. With traditional stents, about 20% of patients who undergo angioplasty experience restenosis - scarring of tissue around the stent - which can narrow or block the artery again.
Use of a drug-coated stent dramatically lowers the patient's risk of needing another procedure due to restenosis. Although drug-coated stents were just approved by the FDA in April 2003, cardiac patients at We Care India partner hospital have had access to these devices for years, through clinical trials. We Care India partner hospital physicians have been pioneers in all phases of the development of drug-coated stents, and continue to participate in and direct clinical trials offering new generations of these devices to patients.
Who are the experts in interventional cardiology ?
The Interventional Cardiology team of physicians at We Care India partner hospital are world-renowned leaders in their field - utilizing state-of-the-art technology and procedures, many of which have been developed and tested at We Care India partner hospital.
The list of of world class heart hospitals in India is as follows : -
For more information, medical assessment and medical quote
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Email : - info@wecareindia.com
Call: +91 9029304141 (10 am. To 8 pm. IST)
(Only for international patients seeking treatment in India)
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Patient Storys
Successful heart surgery at We Care India partner hospital allows Robert Clarke to live a normal life despite a rare genetic disorder We Care india helped Robert find best super specialised surgeon for his rare conditions.
When a bare metal stent is implanted in a blocked artery, there is a risk that the buildup of plaque will recur around the stent several months after implantation, a condition called restenosis. If this happens, additional procedures may be required.
