Cardiac Catheterization — The First Line of Defense and Treatment

Cardiac catherterization (also called heart cath or coronary angiogram) allows cardiologists to examine how a patient's heart is functioning, see if any blockages exist in the arteries and determine the best course of treatment. Typically, heart caths are outpatient procedure, with recovery taking only a few hours.

At the OMHS Heart Center, heart caths are used to open blocked arteries with balloon angioplasty, insert mesh tubes called stents and remove plaque from artery walls using a blade or laser-equipped catheter. 

When an emergency situation arises, OMHS cardiologists and members of the cath lab team arrive at the hospital in 30 minutes or less, making OMHS a leader in heart attack care.  Patients with blocked arteries receive treatment in an average of only 71 minutes, compared to the 90-minute standard established by the American College of Cardiologists and the American Heart Association.