Cath Lab

The cardiac catheterization laboratory is used for diagnostic angiograms and percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI). Cath labs have also seen expanding use in recent years for transcatheter structural heart procedures. Some hospitals also share these labs with other subspecialties for catheter-based procedures in electrophysiology (EP), interventional radiology, peripheral artery disease (PAD), carotid and neuro interventional procedures and vascular surgery.

Deferred testing for low-risk chest pain patients is safe, limits unnecessary catheterizations

Once physicians confirm a patient's CAD risk is low, they can feel comfortable putting diagnostic testing on hold. 

device implantation during left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) procedures

Mitigating risk: How the depth of device implantation impacts LAAO outcomes

Researchers examined data from more than 1,300 procedures, presenting their findings in JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions.

alternative approaches for transcatheter aortic valve replacement procedures

Alternative TAVR techniques: How to proceed when transfemoral access is not recommended

A team of researchers from the United States and Sweden explored data from nearly 12,000 TAVR patients for a new systematic review and meta-analysis. 

Video of Hari Naidu, MD, director of the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Center of Excellence at Westchester Medical Center, explaining the role of alcohol septal ablation and surgical myectomy in the era of mavacamten. #HCM #ASE

Surgery, interventional therapies still the best choice for many HCM patients

"You have to look at each patient and understand their goals," one HCM expert said in a new interview. 

PCI

Colchicine before PCI: New research tracks the long-term impact on heart health

Researchers shared long-term follow-up data from the Colchicine-PCI trial, which compared colchicine administration before PCI with a placebo.

Peter Libby, MD, explains how infections cause heart attacks. This came out of research taking a close look at COVID, but the inflammation from any infection may cause increased inflammation of coronary plaques that cause heart attacks. #COVID #COVID19

Do infections cause heart attacks? Lessons from COVID

COVID-19 opened the eyes of many cardiology researchers that infections may promote inflammation in atherosclerotic plaques, leading to cardiac events.

The team that implanted the first TaurusTrio TAVR valve at Beijing An Zhen Hospital, Capital Medical University in July 2023.

Chinese made version of JenaValve TAVR device implanted in first patient

The first patient was enrolled in a multicenter clinical trial for the TaurusTrio transcatheter aortic valve replacement system, used for aortic regurgitation.

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How cath labs can limit waste and become more sustainable

Making cardiac catheterization labs more efficient and less wasteful could help reduce the large carbon footprint associated with healthcare, according to a new commentary published in JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions.

Around the web

Ron Blankstein, MD, professor of radiology, Harvard Medical School, explains the use of artificial intelligence to detect heart disease in non-cardiac CT exams.

Eleven medical societies have signed on to a consensus statement aimed at standardizing imaging for suspected cardiovascular infections.