INTERVENTIONAL CARDIOLOGY
Cardiac Procedures
Interventional cardiology and Diagnostic Cardiac Procedures can address conditions like coronary artery narrowings, aortic stenosis, and selected arrhythmias.
These minimally invasive catheter-based treatments offer you a less invasive option, a faster recovery, and generally fewer complications compared to conventional surgery.
Diagnostic Cardiac Procedures | Interventional Cardiology | Structural Heart
Coronary Angiogram
The coronary angiogram is performed in a Cardiac Catheterisation Lab, Cath Lab for short, which is fitted
with a specialised x-ray machine.
About the procedure
The procedure takes place in a Cardiac Catheterisation Lab (Cath Lab) using a specialised X-ray machine and a specialised team. The test usually lasts around 30 minutes but may take longer.
The procedure is performed using local anaesthetic and light sedation. Your cardiologist will insert a fine plastic tube, called a catheter, into an artery, usually in your wrist or the groin.
Your cardiologist uses X-ray guidance to thread the catheter to the heart, where contrast media is injected into the arteries. X-ray images are then taken from different angles to assess your arteries. At the end of the procedure, the catheter is removed and a pressure band or direct pressure is applied to the access site to stop bleeding. Our nurses will then take you to the Day Ward for recovery.
The results of the test will guide your treatment, which may include coronary angioplasty with a stent, cardiac surgery, or medication. Sometimes, a pressure wire is used to assess the importance of a narrowing in an artery.
For more information see the New Zealand Heart Foundation website: HERE
Full Heart Study
This procedure uses a catheter to measure pressures in the heart chambers and pulmonary artery, helping to evaluate valve disease effects and cardiac output. It can also diagnose conditions like atrial septal defects and patent foramen ovale by analysing blood flow and oxygenation.
About the procedure
A "right" heart study is accessed via a vein in the arm or groin, followed by a coronary angiogram through the femoral artery. A left ventriculogram may also be done to assess heart pumping and valve function using injected contrast media.
Functional Assessment
A functional assessment measures pressure differences in a narrowed artery around the heart and highlights if there is reduced blood flow to the heart muscle. The results help to determine whether a stent is necessary.
About the procedure
Enter your conThe procedure takes place in a Cardiac Catheterisation Lab (Cath Lab) using a specialised X-ray machine and a specialised team. The test usually lasts around 30 minutes but may take longer.
The procedure is performed using local anaesthetic and light sedation. Your cardiologist will insert a fine plastic tube, called a catheter, into an artery, usually in your wrist or the groin.
Your cardiologist uses X-ray guidance to thread the catheter to the heart, where contrast media is injected into the arteries. X-ray images are then taken from different angles to assess your arteries. At the end of the procedure, the catheter is removed and a pressure band or direct pressure is applied to the access site to stop bleeding. Our nurses will then take you to the Day Ward for recovery.
The results of the test will guide your treatment, which may include coronary angioplasty with a stent, cardiac surgery, or medication. Sometimes, a pressure wire is used to assess the importance of a narrowing in an artery.
For more information see the New Zealand Heart Foundation website: HERE
Diagnostic Cardiology Specialists
Dr Chris Nunn
Dr Madhav Menon
Dr Spencer Heald
Dr Madhav Menon
Dr Hamish Charleson
Dr Vijay Pera
Dr Sanjeevan Pasupati
Dr Raj Nair
Dr Rob McIntosh
Angioplasty/Stenting
Coronary angioplasty is a non-surgical procedure to open narrowed or blocked coronary arteries to improve blood flow to the heart. Most blockages are treated with balloons and stents (fine mesh tubes), which help keep the artery open and reduce the risk of re-narrowing.
About the procedure
The procedure is performed in a Cath Lab under local anaesthesia. A small tube called a catheter is placed into an artery in your wrist or groin. Using X-ray guidance the catheter is positioned in the narrowed artery. A fine wire is passed through the catheter and across the blockage. The stent mounted on a balloon is guided over the wire, across the narrowing. Once the cardiologist is happy it is in the right position, the balloon is inflated, widening the narrowed part of the artery and expanding the stent to fit the artery wall. Then the catheter, balloon and wire are removed, leaving the stent in place.
Restenosis (Re-narrowing)
While stents help reduce the risk of re-narrowing, it can still happen as cells heal and grow through the stent's mesh. This typically occurs between 6 weeks and 6 months after the procedure and is more common in smaller arteries, long narrowings, and diabetic patients. If re-narrowing occurs, the artery can usually be treated again.
For more information visit the New Zealand Heart Foundation website: Here
Interventional cardiology specialists
Dr Chris Nunn
Dr Madhav Menon
Dr Spencer Heald
Dr Madhav Menon
Dr Hamish Charleson
Dr Vijay Pera
Dr Sanjeevan Pasupati
Dr Rajesh Nair
Dr Kamran Majeed
Dr Rob McIntosh
Dr Faeez Mohamad Ali
Dr Robert McIntosh
Dr Spencer Heald
Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation / Replacement, TAVI / TAVR
Transcatheter Aortic Valve Intervention is a minimally invasive procedure to treat Aortic Valve Stenosis (AS).
What is Aortic Stenosis – AS?
The aortic valve controls the flow of blood leaving the heart. Aortic stenosis is usually due to calcium build-up on the valve leaflets causing them to become rigid. In the past, the only treatment available was open heart surgery to replace the narrowed valve. There is now an alternative treatment called Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implant (TAVI).
About the procedure
You may have a general anaesthetic and can expect to be in hospital
for 1-2 nights. The first night will be in our Special Care Unit (SCU) for close observation, then you will go to your room on the ward. We expect you to be able to mobilise after 6 hours.
During your stay in the hospital, you will be monitored and will have an Echocardiogram prior to discharge. Once you are mobilising well and can care for yourself, you will be able to go home. You will not be able to drive for 30 days. You will have a follow-up with your Cardiologist one month after your procedure that will include an echocardiogram.
For more information visit the New Zealand Heart Foundation website via links below:
TEER Procedure.
Mitral transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER) is a minimally invasive procedure for treating mitral valve regurgitation, a condition in which the valve between the heart's left chambers doesn’t close properly.
About the procedure
TEER can help the heart function better, which can relieve shortness of breath, chest pain and other symptoms, and improve quality of life.
In a TEER procedure, a small device is implanted in the valve to help it close more fully and reduce the leak. These devices work by pulling the valve leaflets into a more natural alignment. They are inserted through a vein at the top of the leg using a long delivery system.
You will have a general anaesthetic and can expect to be in the hospital for 2-3 nights. The first night will be in our Special Care Unit (SCU) for close observation, then you will go to your room on the ward. We expect you to be able to mobilise after 6 hours.
During your stay in the hospital, you will be monitored and will have an Echocardiogram prior to discharge. Once you are mobilising well and can do your care you will be able to go home. You will not be able to drive for 30 days. You will have a follow-up with your Cardiologist one month after your procedure will include an echocardiogram.
Atrial Septal Defect / ASD
Closure Procedure
An atrial septal defect (ASD) is an abnormal opening in the wall between the two upper chambers of the heart, atria. This opening allows abnormal flow of blood between the two chambers resulting in too much blood flow to the lungs.
About the procedure
An ASD closure procedure is a minimally invasive catheter-based procedure performed via a vein in the groin. The doctor will use imaging guidance to position a closure device in the ASD to seal the hole. Once the device is successfully placed in the defect, the device is released and will remain permanently in the defect. The catheter is then removed.
Patent Foramen Ovale - PFO Closure Procedure
The procedure to position an occluder device is a minimally invasive catheter-based procedure performed via a vein in the groin. Your doctor will use imaging guidance to position the occluder to expand a disc on either side of the tunnel between the atria. Once the device is successfully placed it is released and will remain permanently in the defect. The catheter is then removed.
About the procedure
The procedure to position an occluder device is a minimally invasive catheter-based procedure performed via a vein in the groin. Your doctor will use imaging guidance to position the occluder to expand a disc on either side of the tunnel between the atria. Once the device is successfully placed it is released and will remain permanently in the defect. The catheter is then removed.
LAA Closure / Left Atrial Appendage Closure
The left atrial appendage (LAA is a small pouch off the side of the left atrium of the heart. Everyone has an LAA, the size and anatomy of it vary, as do the problems it can cause. It sits off the side of the pulmonary arteries that bring blood into the left atrium from the lungs. Its position can cause blood to pool there instead of flowing into the left ventricle of the heart.
More info.
Atrial fibrillation (AFib) patients experience poor atrial contractions during an episode. These weak contractions combined with blood pooling can result in clot formation - most of which form in the LAA, blood thinners can help reduce the risk of clots and the strokes that they cause. If you are unable to take blood thinners, your Cardiologist may suggest that the best option to prevent clot formation may be to close off the LAA so blood cannot pool there.
LAA closure is a minimally invasive procedure to seal off the appendage.
Structural Heart specialists
Dr Madhav Menon
Dr Sanjeevan Pasupati
Dr Rajesh Nair
Dr Faeez Mohamad Ali
