Heart Disease Procedures & Treatments
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Methodist Health System offers a full range of options for treating heart disease. Whether you’re dealing with a common condition like coronary artery disease, heart arrhythmia, or a more complex cardiovascular problem like congestive heart failure, we can help.
Specialized Cardiac Labs
Four specialized labs form the foundation of our cardiology services at the Sam & Anne Kesner Heart Center. Two are devoted to cardiac catheterization and interventional cardiology. These procedures involve small, flexible catheters, wires, balloons, and stents that are threaded into coronary blood vessels by a cardiologist to diagnose and treat heart problems. The other two are dedicated to electrophysiology (EP), which deals specifically with diagnosing and treating electrical abnormalities and arrhythmias of the heart.
Coronary Interventional Procedures
- Coronary angioplasty or PTCA (balloon angioplasty): This procedure opens narrowed sections of arteries using a balloon on the tip of a long, thin catheter. The catheter is inserted into the affected coronary vessel and threaded to the narrowed section. The balloon is then inflated to flatten the buildup on the inside of the artery, widening the passageway for blood.
- Coronary stent implantation: Once the angioplasty balloon has reopened the vessel, tiny, flexible stainless-steel stents are expanded into the artery to keep it open. Some stents may be coated with medicines that prevent restenosis (abrupt closure of the artery). The Sam & Anne Kesner Heart Center participated in a clinical registry using Boston Scientific Corporation's drug-coated stent (called the TAXUS stent). It was the first hospital in Texas to implant this stent as part of the process for FDA approval of the device.
- Coronary artery bypass surgery
- daVinci® cardiothoracic surgeries
- Impella pump implants: We are proud to offer our patients the world’s smallest heart pump.
- Open heart surgery
- Vascular surgery
- TAVR
- Transradial percutaneous coronary intervention (TR-PCI)
- Watchman: A permanent heart implant that can help prevent blood clots and, by extension, strokes.
Pacemaker and Defibrillator Implants
- Pacemaker—small device implanted in the chest that sends electrical signals to the heart, helping it beat at a constant and normal rate.
- Defibrillator—device in the chest that sends a strong electrical signal and subsequent shock to the heart if its rhythm becomes dangerously fast or slow.
- Biventricular device implants (pacemakers and defibrillators)—devices that pace both ventricles (lower heart chambers), increasing the amount of blood pumped to the heart; they can dramatically improve the quality of life for patients diagnosed with congestive heart failure.
Electrophysiology Procedures
- Cardiac ablations (electrocautery): These electrophysiology procedures correct abnormal heartbeats. A special catheter is threaded into the heart, and small areas of tissue that are interfering with the heart’s electrical signals are burned away, often permanently curing the abnormal heart rhythm.
To find a doctor or request an appointment, call (214) 947-0000 or click to schedule.