Benefits and Risks of Interventional Cardiology Procedure?

Benefits of Interventional Cardiology

Procedures of interventional cardiology are generally considered minimally invasive and can often help patients avoid traditional heart surgery. In many cases, procedures of interventional cardiology require only a small incision in the arm or leg for insertion of a catheter. Almost all interventional cardiology procedures are performed without requiring general anesthesia and some procedures can take as few as 30 minutes to perform.

In many cases, patients require only one night of hospital stay following interventional cardiology procedures, instead of the longer hospital stay required by other types of surgery. Some interventional cardiology procedures are even performed on an outpatient basis. Recovery times are often shorter as well, and symptoms, such as shortness of breath and chest pain, are usually relieved quickly and effectively.

Many heart attack patients have been shown to derive significant benefits from angioplasty. Opening an artery and restoring blood flow quickly can help prevent heart damage. In addition, balloon valvuloplasty is often considered the best option for infants and children with congenital heart defects.

Possible complications

Interventional cardiology procedures may not be appropriate for all heart patients and decisions about interventional treatments should be made in close consultation between doctor and patient. In some cases, treatment with medications or conventional heart surgery may be the better option. Patients with diabetes or other chronic conditions and patients who have a weak heart muscle, calcification of the aortic valve, badly diseased blood vessels, or multiple artery blockages may not be good candidates for interventional procedures.

Some complications of interventional cardiology procedures, particularly angioplasty, include the following:

•  Heart attack
• Stroke
• Coronary artery damage
• Kidney damage
• Heart rhythm problems
• Bleeding at the catheter insertion site
• Blood clots
• Restenosis