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.

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Delirium after TAVR: A common side effect linked to increased mortality

Temporary changes in cognition, including disorganized thinking, are seen in a significant number of patients following transcatheter aortic valve replacement. 

September 5, 2023
VIDEO of Prof. Steen Kristensen explaining key trials and news from ESC 2023. #ESC #ESCcongress #ESC2023 ESCcongress2023

Key takeaways from ESC Congress 2023

Steen Dalby Kristensen, a cardiologist with Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark, detailed some of the hottest topics at the European Society of Cardiology's annual meeting. 

August 31, 2023
Interventional cardiologists performing PCI

Immediate vs. staged multivessel PCI: How the 2 strategies compare when treating STEMI patients

Researchers explored data from more than 400 STEMI patients, presenting their work at ESC Congress 2023 and publishing it in the New England Journal of Medicine.

August 29, 2023
Example of intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) shown as part of the multimodality imaging capability on the Fujifilm CVIS.

Intravascular imaging-guided PCI improves patient outcomes, new meta-analysis confirms

The ILUMIEN IV and OCTOBER trials helped illustrate that the benefits of intravascular ultrasound also are seen with optical coherence tomography. Both trials were included in the new meta-analysis presented at ESC Congress 2023.

August 28, 2023
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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. 

August 25, 2023
The depth of left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) devices inside the LAA impacts outcomes. #LAAO

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.

August 18, 2023
Alternative access approaches for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) procedures. courtesy of Interventional Cardiology Review 2018;13(3):145–50.

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. 

August 11, 2023
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. 

August 9, 2023

Around the web

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

Kate Hanneman, MD, explains why many vendors and hospitals want to lower radiology's impact on the environment. "Taking steps to reduce the carbon footprint in healthcare isn’t just an opportunity," she said. "It’s also a responsibility."

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