Understanding Cardiovascular Procedures – Non Invasive & Interventional Cardiology and Catheterization 

The human heart is one of the most vital and actively functioning organs of the body. Unfortunately, the cases of cardiac arrest and dysfunction are increasing rapidly across the world. According to a conducted research, the death rate of males losing their lives due to myocardial attack is much more than the number of females. The seizure or blockage of heart vessels can be fatal thus medical practitioners keep researching about new and innovative ways of non-invasive cardiology & interventional cardiology since keeping the heart healthy is crucial to lead a happy and healthy life. 

Medicines, blood banks, operations, and surgeries are standard terms to be used in the medical field. However, heart diseases have become common these days. The most common type of heart disease includes coronary and vascular diseases. However, heart disease is coronary, which claims hundreds of people’s lives each year. 

Heart disease can be cured by adopting a healthy lifestyle and taking prescribed medicine on time. But, in some cases, operating a person is the only hope to save a person’s life. Medical professionals like Dr Asim Hameedi are gifted with the talent to operate heart patients and bring them back to life through both non-invasive and interventional cardiology procedures. 

What Is Interventional Cardiology

Every field has an expert who tackles every matter of the area in a professional and unbeatable way. Similarly, the people dealing with abnormal functioning of the heart are called Cardiologists. They deal with disorders and diseases associated with improper or dysfunctional cardiovascular system within the boundaries set by the medical world.

Interventional cardiology covers the treatment of the heart through non-surgical methods. It also represents the advanced treatment of cardiovascular diseases by focusing on invasive heart management. A small catheter flexible tube is employed to repair the cardiac damage. Undergoing catheterizations can improve the previously damaged or weakened blood vessels. 

An Interventional cardiologist specializes in diagnosing and treating heart conditions by using various surgical and non-surgical methods and catheterizations. Here are the three most common conditions that can be treated through interventional cardiology:

  • Disease Of Heart Valves

When the heart valves are not functioning as smoothly as they should, in such circumstances, interventional cardiology can help in improving the condition. 

  • Peripheral vascular disease 

The condition in which the veins and the arteries become irregularly stiff or clogged is called peripheral vascular disease.

  • Disease Of Coronary Artery

The disease in which arteries are contracted and negative blood flow occupies the heart chamber is termed coronary artery disease. Such conditions can be improved through interventional cardiology methods.

Specialized Diseases Treated Through Interventional Cardiology

The diseases and abnormalities listed above are the most familiar ones. However, interventional cardiology can heal and improve many other heart problems like:

  • Arrhythmia – Abnormal rhythm of the heartbeat, either the heart beats too fast or too slow than the regular ones. 
  • Angina – Chest pain caused by the contraction of the blood vessels 
  • Cardiomyopathy – Abnormal or unusual enlargement of the heart
  • Congenital Heart Defects – The heart’s abnormal functioning by birth, including the atrium septal.
  • Myocardial Infarction – Heart Arrest, where a portion of your heart lacks oxygen. This condition can be fatal, causing the death of the patient. 
  • Heart Failure – occurs when the heart is extremely weak to pump the blood normally and also causes the patient’s death. 

Tests Performed To Diagnose Heart Diseases And Abnormalities

The signs and symptoms are associated with every disease. Similarly, unhealthy heart conditions also show symptoms to indicate that the body needs medical help and care. Therefore, different medical tests are performed to rectify whether the predicted state of the heart is actual or not. The diagnostics tests generally performed to confirm the heart condition are:

  • Cardiac Enzyme Test – To Determine Heart Damage
  • Cardiac Stress Test – To Measure The Blood Supply Of The Heart
  • Echocardiogram – To Analyze The Function And The Structure Of The Heart 
  • Electrocardiogram (ECG) – To Measure The Heart Rhythm
  • CBC – Complete Blood Count 
  • Urinalysis 
  • Blood Glucose Level Test
  • Holter Monitor Test – To Measure The Heartbeat Rhythm For Over A Specific Time
  • Liver and Kidney Functioning Test

Treatments used in the interventional Cardiology

An interventional heart cardiologist performs the following treatments for heart treatment without scissoring the heart. 

  • Alcohol Septal Ablation – Used To Treat the Obstructive Cardiomyopathy 
  • Angiography – Cardiac Catheterization To Check The Blocked Arteries And The Functioning Of The Heart.
  • Myocardial Attack – Used To Check And Treat The Heart Attacking Conditions Of The Human Body
  • Congenital Heart Defects – By closing the ductus artery of the heart and performing angioplasty of some vessels
  • Coronary Thrombectomy – Includes The Ejection Of The Thrombocytes From The Blood
  • Percutaneous Repair Of The Valve – An Alternate To The Open Heart Surgery

Procedures Used In Interventional Cardiology

Interventional cardiology utilizes multiple methods to treat the patients suffering from cardiac diseases, some of them are listed:

  1. Angioplasty 

The procedure includes a minimal invasive cut to insert the stent to diagnose the heart problem and is termed as angioplasty. It is the one of the most common procedures used to re-open the blocked arteries and retain the blood flow.

  1. Cardiac Catheterization

As the name suggests the process involves the insertion of the catheter to analyze and record the working of the heart. In this process, a large hollow known as a catheter is inserted into the blood vessel that is directly connected to the heart. According to Dr Asim Hameedi, cardiac catheterization is used to determine the problems and abnormalities within the heart muscles. 

  1. Hemodynamic Cardiac Filters

The procedures that are used to view and control the diseases associated with the blood. The doctors use these methods to figure out the blood disorders.

  1. Stenting

In this process, a tiny device is used to open blocked arteries. Several incisions are made on the patient’s body particularly the chest part to insert the device, it is majorly used to open the blocked arteries and eliminate the plaque accumulation around the heart. It increases the blood flow decreasing the chances of myocardial arrest. 

  1. Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement

It is the endoscopic heart process that helps in replacing the heart vessel that does not expand or contract in a perfect manner, as a result, it causes aortic valve stenosis. The entire process is also known as transcatheter aortic valve implantation. 

What Is Non-Invasive Cardiology

The cardiovascular system of the body is essential for every human being. Unfortunately, several living beings tend to harm cardiac health by adopting unhealthy and harmful habits. These habits end up leading to chronic heart conditions leading to the death of the patients. Numerous surgical and non-surgical methods can diagnose heart conditions. 

The cardiology in which the heart conditions are diagnosed without using any needle and without puncturing the heart is termed as the Non-Invasive Cardiology

Non-invasive cardiology actively utilizes some techniques listed below: 

  • CT – Scans 

It is used to determine the heart’s health condition, whether it is suffering from atherosclerosis or just the plaque accumulation around the heart. 

  • Stress Test 

The cardiologists usually perform the stress test. It majorly involves physical exercise to analyze and note the amount of stress your heart can handle. It also helps the specialist to observe and collect knowledge about how your heart handles such situations.

  • Echocardiography

The ultrasound waves are used to create images of the heart. It helps diagnose the infections and the structural abnormalities of the heart. In addition, it is an effective technique to identify how well the heart can pump blood along the blood vessels.

  • Heart Monitors

The technique is also called an event recorder, as it was invented to tape the heartbeat and electrical activity for a specific period. 

  • Nuclear Cardiology

A non-surgical way to excess the heart condition by using imaging techniques is made possible by nuclear cardiology. In addition, it helps in diagnosing many diseases and disorders of the cardiovascular system. It is a careful imaging technique that helps the cardiologist analyze the different aspects of the heart and figure out the root of the disease. 

If you are suspicious about your own heart health, it’s about time you visit one of the best NYC doctors, Dr Asim Hameedi MD in Queens, New York 

Cardiac Catheterization

As mentioned earlier, cardiac catheterization is a treatment method that helps the patient recover quickly from the condition, with a low risk of complications. Cardiac Catheterization is a process that uses a thin and flexible tube called a catheter, which is inserted into the blood vessels to determine the condition and functioning of the heart. Catheterization helps in the diagnosis and the treatment of the blocked or clogged vessels letting the flow with ease. 

Also, the entire process helps the doctor in getting maximum knowledge about the heart valves, heart muscles and blood vessels. Catheterization is used to treat some cardiac diseases like coronary angioplasty. The patient recovers quickly after a catheter treatment, Also, the risk of complication is not as much as during the invasive cardiology.

Why Is Catheterization Important?

Heart diseases have become very common today, but for every minor cardiac problem, a person cannot be operated on as it will eventually risk his living factor. So, to avoid major heart surgeries and avoid the use of surgical blade cardiac catheterization is used. As mentioned above, this process involves minimal risk to the patient’s life. 

The cardiac experts recommend the test if the patient is suffering from angina (chest pain) and Arrhythmia (the abnormal rhythm of the heartbeat). 

Catheterization Used For Diagnosis & Treatment

  • Heart Failure – Myocardial Arrest  
  • Congenital Heart Disease – Heart Disease By Birth 
  • Microvascular Heart Disease
  • Coronary Artery Disease
  • Heart Disease Related To Heart 

How A Cardiac Expert Performs Catheterization?

Every method is performed in a professional way that is not easy to understand by a layman. The catheterization process is performed in the following manner:

  • Angiogram

The doctor locates the blockages and the narrowing of the blood vessels that are causing severe chest pain in the patient’s body. 

  • Hemodynamic Assessment 

Later the cardiac expert measures the pressure taken by the heart. It also measures the oxygen level of the patient’s heart. 

  • Right And Left Ventriculogram

After measuring the oxygen level and pressure is taken by the heart, the next step is to observe the left and right ventricle and analyze how well the heart pumps blood. 

  • Biopsy

One of the most crucial steps of the entire process is the biopsy. Here, a sample is collected from the heart for further examination.

  • Congenital Heart Defects

It includes the diagnoses of the heart diseases and abnormalities that appear in the body of a person by birth.

  • Heart Valves Disease Diagnoses

 In the end, the heart valve disease is diagnosed. 

  • Hemolytic Examination

The blood examination to observe blood disorders and clots,

How To Permanently Improve Your Heart Health

Cardiovascular disease has been seizing the lives of millions of people around the globe. Heart health once gone wrong is difficult to get back to normal. On the contrary, there are several ways to improve heart health permanently once and for all. A person willing to move forward to enjoy a healthy cardiovascular system must work on reducing the risk factors that damage the heart the most. According to research, the death rate of men losing their lives from heart arrest is much more than females. Some of the best and easily easy to improve your cardiac health are listed below:

  1. A Healthy Lifestyle Can Be A Great Help

Adopting a healthy lifestyle can save a heart patient from a huge loss of life. Taking healthy vegetables and replacing the food oil with olive oil can be a great help in reducing the cholesterol level in the human body. Consuming salmon and green vitamin-rich vegetables can be a track to the narrow escape from death.

  1. Exercise To Keep Your Healthy

Keeping the body in motion is equally beneficial for heart and body health. A cardiac patient must begin with light exercise and gradually increase the time duration of the exercise. Doing this will make the heart stronger enabling it to bear more pressure. Also, the heart will grow healthier pumping the blood in a better way almost equal to a normal healthy heart.

  1. Cut Off Smoking

A heart constantly fighting the cigarette smoke can never get any better. So, to get better and lead a prosperous life, a cardiac patient must give up each ash of smoke from his life. The majority of the people smoking are not aware of the substance a cigarette is made up of, it contains nicotine which damages the lungs and also affects heart function. Avoiding cigarettes increases the chances of living for any person with or without cardiac diseases.

  1. Avoid Stressful Situations

Hypertension and stress are one of the major factors that can result in myocardial arrest. Doing light yoga can be a great help in controlling the stressing hormones releasing within your body causing you to suffer a cardiac seizure. More than 1400 biochemicals actively respond to the stress that arises in the human body. As a result, these biochemical molecules end up increasing the blood pressure within the body of the patient. 

  1. No Alcohols Are Allowed

Being an alcoholic will never help a person get rid of heart conditions or diseases. Rather, it will make it even worse. It has been believed that red wine may improve the cardiovascular conditions of a patient, but the highlighting word here is it MAY improve the condition. Consumption of too much liquor usually results in an abnormal increase in the heart rhythm of the patient. Other than this, it also causes an irregular increase in blood pressure and elevates the chances of other heart diseases such as stroke and myocardial failure or arrest. 

  1. Reduce The Bad Cholesterol 

Surviving with a cardiac disorder is not easy, but there are several ways to make your heart a healthy beating again. Reducing fat and bad cholesterol is a key that leads to a healthy cardiovascular system and eventually a healthy fit life. Exercise and healthy food can be a strict measure to lose excessive body fat, especially belly fat. 

Dr Asim Hameedi is a qualified, trained and experienced interventional Cardiologist, who has successfully saved the lives of millions of diseased hearts. However, many cardiologists also use catheterization to examine the condition and the function of the heart. But there are several ways a person can improve his health without being laid in the operation theatre under the threat of being operated on. Getting a handful of nuts like cashew nuts can actually lead to cutting off the bad plaque accumulated around the heart. On the other hand, meditation is beneficial to release stress and maintain a normal heart rhythm. It also reduces the risk of angina or cardiac arrest.

If you are considering avoiding any of cardiovascular procedures such as invasive or non-invasive cardiology or catheterization, it’s best that you adopt a healthy lifestyle and keep a regular check on your health.  

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