Interventional Cardiology
Specialized cardiology providers within Santa Rosa Medical Group include those who perform both advanced interventional cardiology procedures and offer specialized treatment for heart rhythm disorders. Using minimally invasive techniques and advanced diagnostic technology, cardiologists diagnose heart conditions, restore healthy blood flow and treat abnormal heart rhythms. This approach allows physicians to provide personalized care for a wide range of cardiovascular conditions.
Interventional Cardiology
Heart disease can often be treated using minimally invasive interventional cardiology techniques. These procedures use a catheter (a thin, flexible tube inserted into the arteries and guided to the heart) to diagnose and treat cardiovascular conditions. Many catheter-based procedures are performed on an outpatient basis and offer a non-surgical alternative for improving blood flow and treating certain heart conditions.
Board-certified interventional cardiologists at Santa Rosa Medical Group use advanced catheter-assisted techniques, including:
- Diagnostic cardiac catheterization: Uses fluoroscopy (real-time X-ray imaging) to examine the heart, measure blood pressure and blood flow, assess oxygen levels and collect blood samples or biopsies
- Angioplasty: Opens blocked arteries to improve blood flow
- Stent placement: A small mesh tube placed in an artery to help keep it open and maintain blood flow
- Coronary atherectomy: Removes hardened plaque from a blocked artery
- Catheter ablation: Uses a catheter-guided electrode to eliminate abnormal electrical pathways that cause arrhythmias
Heart Rhythm Disorders
A heart rhythm disorder, or arrhythmia, occurs when the heart beats too fast, too slow or irregularly. While many arrhythmias are not serious, some require medical evaluation and treatment.
Cardiologists at Santa Rosa Medical Group use advanced diagnostic tools to measure the heart’s electrical activity and identify rhythm abnormalities, including:
- Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG)
- Electrophysiology studies
- Holter monitoring, which records heart activity over an extended period
Treatment options depend on the type and severity of the arrhythmia and may include:
- Lifestyle modification and medication management: Reducing triggers such as stress, caffeine or alcohol, along with medications when needed
- Cardioversion: An electrical shock delivered to the heart using a defibrillator to restore a normal rhythm
- Catheter ablation: Eliminates abnormal heart cells causing the arrhythmia
- Implantable devices: Small devices placed under the skin that regulate heart rhythm:
- Pacemaker for slow heart rhythms
- Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) for fast or life-threatening rhythms
- Surgical ablation: Surgery to remove heart tissue responsible for abnormal rhythms when other treatments are not effective
To schedule an appointment with the cardiology team, please call (850) 981-7738.