Interventional Cardiac and Vascular Treatments
Heart And Vascular Center > Interventional Cardiac And Vascular Treatments
The interventional and surgical cardiac treatments available at Delta Regional Medical Center set the Heart and Vascular Center apart from any other heart center in the Mississippi Delta region. We have the area’s only full-time cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon. Some of the advanced life-saving interventional procedures at Delta Regional Medical Center include:
Angioplasty
Angioplasty is a treatment that can be used in the treatment of both cardiac and vascular disease to relieve congestion in blocked arteries. For patients with cardiac disease it can reduce chest pain, and with vascular patients it can increase circulation.
Healthy cardiac and vascular arteries shave smooth inner walls allowing blood to flow freely, but factors such as smoking and high blood pressure can cause injury to the artery wall and restrict blood flow. An injured artery will collect plaque, causing it to narrow and form clots that cut off blood flow and oxygen to the heart.
During angioplasty, a small balloon is positioned in the congested area of the artery. The balloon is then inflated and deflated several times, reducing congestion and allowing blood to flow freely again.
Stenting
Stents are small metallic cylinders that form a support for the inner wall of the coronary or vascular artery. For certain patients, they may be used to “hold” the vessel open so the blood may flow more freely. A cardiologist determines whether it is an appropriate treatment.
Pacemakers
While a normal heart beats between 60 and 100 times per minute on its own, it needs an electrical impulse for each beat. If the heart rate slows down too much or if it “skips” too many beats, a pacemaker may be required to provide this impulse. A pacemaker is simply a generator, about the size of a small pocket watch, which regulates the heartbeat. Pacemakers are powered by a battery that will last for many years.
While the procedure is performed in an operating room, the patient does not go to sleep; instead, they receive a mild sedative and a local anesthetic. The pacemaker is placed in the chest through a small “pocket” made just under the skin in the chest below the collarbone. Small wires are then inserted through a vein and into the heart. The generator is programmed by the doctor to beat efficiently and the pocket is closed with just a few stitches so that the patient can return home in about a day.
Transmyocardial Revascularization (TMR)
Another procedure that Delta Regional uses to fight coronary artery disease is transmyocardial revascularization or TMR. This procedure is ideal for advanced heart disease patients who either have not responded to traditional treatments or who are not good candidates for traditional options such as coronary artery bypass grafts or angioplasty.
A special computer assisted laser creates tiny channels, about the width of the head of a pin, in the heart wall. The procedure is performed through a small incision. Clinical tests show that the heart laser therapy promotes an increase of blood flow by stimulating the growth of new vessels in the heart.
Coronary Artery Bypass Grafts
Coronary Artery Bypass Grafts (CABG), commonly known as heart bypass surgery, is an open-heart procedure, which “by-passes” or re-routes the blood supply around the blockage and restores blood flow to the heart. Each patient who undergoes CABG surgery at Delta Regional is under the care of a team of experienced doctors, nurses, technicians, dietitians, respiratory therapists, and physical therapists who guide the patient through preoperative care, surgery, recovery, recuperation, and rehabilitation.
This is a surgical procedure that involves cutting open the chest wall. The surgery lasts several hours and patients can expect to spend at least one night in the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit. Over the next few days, doctors, nurses, and therapists will help the patient regain strength and confidence before being discharged, usually in about three to five days.
Valve Surgery
The heart is a pump containing four valves which keep blood flowing in the correct direction with each heartbeat. Heart valve conditions that most often require surgery are stenosis (narrowed valves) or regurgitation (improperly closing valves that allow blood to leak back in the wrong direction).
As with bypass surgery, valve surgery is an open-heart procedure. Again, the entire heart team at Delta Regional is with the patient from preoperative care, throughout the surgery, postoperative, and rehabilitation periods. The procedure takes several hours and all patients will be admitted to the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit following the surgery. Patients may return home in three to six days.