In the past, when a patient underwent a coronary angiogram, a diagnostic test to detect arterial blockage, and the result was positive, it was necessary for that patient to transfer to another facility for elective angioplasty. An angioplasty is performed to restore normal blood flow to the heart muscle.
Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center’s Cardiology Division now offers a full complement of invasive and non-invasive diagnostic testing and intervention. Its Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory is fully equipped and staffed by Board-Certified Attending Physicians and a team of highly trained and skilled nurses. The lab is now fully licensed to offer elective angioplasty, which allows them to offer a one stop service and no longer need to transfer a patient to another facility.
More than two million angioplasties are performed each year making it more common than the coronary bypass surgery to unclog or open narrowed or blocked blood vessels of the heart due to a buildup of cholesterol, cells or a blood clot. This procedure is not considered major surgery as it is done through the insertion of a catheter into the artery and inflating a tiny balloon at the end of it.
In many cases a stent is placed in the artery through the same catheter to prevent the artery from clogging again. The catheter is removed and the stent remains in position in the artery. In most cases, an overnight stay in the hospital is required.
For more on Angioplasty or other services provided by the Department of Cardiology at Brookdale,One Brookdale Plaza, call 718-240-5376.
