Cardiac Catheter-Based Procedures

Using cardiac catheterization, a physician can perform repairs to the heart and its surrounding arteries without opening the chest. During this procedure, a thin, flexible tube called a catheter is inserted into an artery vessel in the arm, groin or neck and guided to the heart. The physician is then able to thread tiny tools through the catheter to the location where the procedure is needed.

Cardiac catheterization is commonly used diagnostically in the following ways:

• Identify complications from a heart attack
• Determe candidates for bypass surgery, valve repair or replacement
• Collect blood samples from inside the heart
• Take a biopsy from the heart
• Find congenital defects
• Look for signs of valve disease
• Check blood flow and pressure
  
  

At Houston Methodist, our physicians lead the field in using catheterization for heart treatment procedures: