INTRODUCTION Print Section Listen In 1979, Andreas Gruentzig reported his experience with the first 50 coronary angioplasty procedures. In those first 50 patients, antiplatelet therapy was empiric and consisted of…
INTRODUCTION Print Section Listen Despite the prolific increase in new technology in interventional cardiology, x-ray imaging combined with radiographic contrast media continues to be the mainstay in imaging technology. Visualization…
INTRODUCTION Print Section Listen Sedation for patients undergoing procedures in the cardiac catheterization laboratory (CCL) can be managed by the primary physician with nursing staff or by a dedicated anesthesiology…
INTRODUCTION Print Section Listen The recognition of the proximate role of coronary thrombosis secondary to plaque rupture or erosion as the underlining cause of ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction (AMI)…
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND Print Section Listen Today’s clinical cardiac catheterization laboratory evolved from facilities that were originally human hemodynamic research laboratories. In the 1940s and 1950s, these facilities worked out much…
INTRODUCTION Print Section Listen The advent of percutaneous therapies has revolutionized our approach to treatment of valvular heart disease. The ability to perform such interventions safely and effectively relies heavily…
ATHEROSCLEROSIS Print Section Listen Introduction The complex molecular and cellular biology of the inflammatory process that promotes atherosclerosis has been elucidated through years of extensive experimental and clinical research. Vascular…
INTRODUCTION Print Section Listen Renal artery stenosis (RAS) is the main cause of “secondary” arterial hypertension. RAS is found in 0.5% to 5% of hypertensive patients. RAS is most often…
INTRODUCTION Print Section Listen The catheterization laboratory continues to evolve with time, initially concentrating on hemodynamic assessment of the heart and, in particular, valvular heart disease, before becoming very “coronary-centric”…
INTRODUCTION Print Section Listen In contemporary practice, catheter-based interventions have become an increasingly important therapeutic modality for the treatment of nearly all areas of the peripheral arterial and venous system,…
