Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory
The full-service Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory at White Plains Hospital provides the community with a numerous options for diagnosis and treatment of heart disease.
Both interventional cardiology and electrophysiology tests and procedures are performed in the Cath Lab, which is one of only two in Westchester County authorized to perform emergency and elective angioplasty. This level of service means that patients diagnosed with coronary artery blockages do not need a transfer to another facility to receive this critically important treatment.
Interventional Cardiology is a specialty utilizing minimally invasive procedures to diagnose and treat blockages in the coronary arteries or other heart-related conditions. Interventional procedures performed in the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory at White Plains Hospital include:
Diagnostic Coronary Angiogram
This non-surgical procedure evaluates patients with chest pain and shortness of breath, measures heart function and examines narrowed or leaking heart valves. During the procedure, a narrow catheter is inserted through a tiny incision at the right elbow or either side of the groin and threaded through the blood vessels and into the heart under X-ray guidance. Dye is injected to detect blockages or other abnormalities.
If an angiogram indicates one or more blockages in the coronary arteries, doctors may perform an angioplasty to re-open them. During the procedure, also known as PTCA (percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty), a tiny balloon is inserted through the catheter and then inflated, flattening the plaque that has accumulated and opening up the artery. The interventional cardiologist may then place a stent, a tiny mesh-like device, inside the artery to help keep it open.
At White Plains Hospital, angioplasties may be performed on an elective or emergency basis, ensuring that Emergency Department patients with cardiac symptoms, including heart attack, receive rapid care in accordance with national standards.
Electrophysiology procedures are performed to help test electrical conduction of the heart and to diagnose and treat abnormal heart rhythms, also known as arrhythmias. These procedures help identify exactly where in the heart the abnormality is occurring.
An ablation is a treatment that uses radiofrequency waves to destroy abnormal heart tissue that is causing an arrhythmia.
Patients with atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter may benefit from treatment by cardioversion, which administers an electrical shock to the heart to restore normal rhythm.
Automatic Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (AICD) Implantation
These small devices are implanted in the chest and continuously monitor heart rhythm. If an abnormality is detected, the device delivers a shock to the heart to restore normal rhythm.
A pacemaker is a small device, inserted under the skin in the chest, which helps maintain a normal heart rate and rhythm. The device may be used to treat a slow heart rhythm, heart failure, or fainting spells.