Interventional Cardiology Conditions and Treatments

Many conditions can cause chest pain or discomfort. Some conditions that cause chest pain are less serious than others; they may be due to common situations such as irritation of the esophagus or stomach, issues with swallowing, strain from heavy physical activity, muscle injuries, inflammation of the chest wall or cartilage, panic attacks and more. However, more severe or persistent chest pain may indicate coronary artery disease, a very common condition in which one or more arteries of the heart are blocked, making it difficult for oxygenated blood to get through.

Interventional cardiology procedures may be used to improve symptoms of chest pain and shortness of breath through catheter-based techniques that open the artery(ies), which increases the overall quality of life and in emergency situations, may even be life-saving.

Depending on your coronary artery disease diagnosis, our team might recommend:

Heart failure occurs when the heart muscle becomes damaged and is unable to deliver enough nutrient-rich blood to meet the body’s needs. Because heart failure is a progressive condition, there is no cure, but medications, lifestyle changes and interventional cardiology can help manage the condition by alleviating symptoms to allow patients lead an active life. Used in conjunction with one another, these therapies can potentially stabilize or even gradually improve heart muscle weakness.

Interventional cardiology is a new frontier in controlling heart failure over time with groundbreaking techniques and medical devices that can help the heart function better for longer periods of time before surgery or heart transplantation is needed. Current interventions for heart failure include:

Uncontrolled hypertension (high blood pressure) affects nearly half the U.S. adult population (116 million Americans) and is a leading cause of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular complications, including heart attack, stroke, heart failure and kidney failure. The majority of hypertensive patients will not have any clear secondary cause for their elevated blood pressure. While diet, exercise, weight loss, reduction in sodium consumption and fluid intake will help control blood pressure, most hypertensive patients will also require 2-3 (or more) different blood pressures medications. Current data suggest however, that despite all these therapies, many patients will remain well above their recommended blood pressure targets.

UChicago Medicine is among a small group of medical centers nationally to offer a potentially groundbreaking new interventional therapy for the treatment of resistant hypertension. Renal denervation (RDN) is a catheter-based, nonsurgical approach in with radiofrequency energy is delivered to the lining of the arteries that supply the kidneys (renal arteries) in order to heat up (ablate) the nerves which travel within the walls of the renal arteries and are responsible, in part, for the excessive blood pressure response. To date, over a dozen trials have documented the safety of this procedure and this current investigation seeks to evaluate the effectiveness of RDN in a larger and more diverse patient population.

In the United States, as many as 600,000 people each year suffer from venous thromboembolism (VTE) — a condition characterized by blood clots obstructing a large vein (venous thrombosis) and pulmonary embolism. Blood clots can be dangerous, and even fatal, if it is not treated in a timely manner.

Interventional cardiology can provide life-saving noninvasive treatments for embolism and thrombosis, which often includes containing and/or removing clots in arteries and veins before they reach the lungs, heart or brain. Our team has the skill and experience to work quickly and efficiently to locate and treat a clot before it becomes deadly. VTE interventional cardiology includes performing:

Valve and structural heart disease is an umbrella term that encompasses the full scope of conditions caused by defects or abnormalities in heart's valves, walls and/or muscles. Heart valve conditions are either congenital (present at birth) or can form later in life due to aging, infection or underlying medical conditions.

Valve disease can occur if one or more of the four heart valves (mitral, aortic, tricuspid and pulmonary) is damaged or defective, impacting how the heart functions and can limit blood flow to the body. Many of these conditions, including congenital heart disease, acquired valve diseases, arteriovenous fistulas, heart wall damage/holes and more, can be treated or managed through minimally invasive interventional cardiology procedures rather than requiring open, traditional surgery.

Interventional cardiology procedures include:

Vascular disease occurs when there is an abnormality in a patient's blood vessels (veins and arteries), such as a blockage, bulge or narrowing of the vessel walls. Any irregularity in veins or arteries decreases blood circulation throughout the body and increases the risk for developing serious and potentially life-threatening conditions, such as peripheral arterial disease (PAD), aortic aneurysms and aortic dissections.

Since vascular disease can affect any part of the body, symptoms will vary depending on the location of the affected vessels. Interventionalists can help diagnose any damaged or blocked vessels, as well as perform nonsurgical procedures that can open obstructed veins/arteries in organs and extremities in order to prevent stroke and/or loss/amputation of limbs. Our interventional cardiologists work in conjunction with our vascular surgeons to provide less invasive vascular treatment options, such as: