Interventional Cardiology

We have the doctors, technology, and facilities, including our cardiac labs, to make a rapid diagnosis and take quick, effective action 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

We’ve refined our coordination and teamwork to a science.

At the WVU Heart and Vascular Institute, our interventional cardiologists offer comprehensive diagnostic and therapeutic options for non-surgical treatments of cardiac conditions. They use non-surgical techniques — usually by running a catheter through the arteries into and around the heart — to repair the blockages that cut off the flow of blood in and out of the heart.

QUICK FACTS

Our team performs between 1,500 to 1,800 angioplasties and stent placements annually. Angioplasties involve a balloon attached to the catheter which clears the arteries. The team is also experienced in the use of stents.   In addition to traditional stents, we use drug-eluting stents, which deliver medication directly to the site of the blockage.
For a heart attack patient, “door to balloon” is the time from arrival at the hospital until the start of balloon angioplasty. The national goal for “door to balloon” is 90 minutes. The WVU Heart and Vascular Institute far exceeds that goal.
We’ve refined our coordination and teamwork to a science. We have the doctors, technology, and facilities, including our state-of-the-art cardiac catheterization labs which use low-radiation, high-resolution equipment along with the latest in medical devices to treat all possible cardiovascular conditions, to make a rapid diagnosis and take quick, effective action 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

Treatments and Procedures

Ablation
Angioplasty
Atherectomy
Balloon valvuloplasty
Cardiac catheterization
Cardiac resynchronization therapy
CardioMEMS HF device placement
Clot extraction
Cutting catheter or “Pac-Man” surgery for patients with chronic total occlusions (CTOs)
Diagnostic catheterization for evaluation of coronary artery and valvular heart disease (Intravascular ultrasound and flow wire available)
Interpretation of both invasive and non-invasive cardiac testing
Noninvasive cardiac evaluation with stress/nuclear and stress/echocardiogram
Pacemaker
Preoperative cardiac evaluation prior to non-cardiac surgery
Renal and peripheral artery stenting
Stenting
TAVR
WATCHMAN left atrial appendage closure device

Radial Artery Access Cardiac Catheterization

WVU Heart and Vascular Institute interventional cardiologists offer radial artery access, a cardiac catheterization technique that uses arteries in the wrist to reach the heart. Radial artery wrist access allows for the same tests and procedures as other catheterization methods for diagnosing and treating coronary artery disease, with increased benefit over traditional femoral artery (groin) access.

The advantages of using the radial artery as an access point include:

decreased risk of complications from bleeding
faster recovery time
greater comfort for patients
faster mobility
shorter hospital stays

Women, older, or obese patients may especially benefit from radial artery access.

For more information or to schedule an appointment,
call 855-WVU-CARE, or schedule online.

Patient Story

Peter is “living his life” thanks to the cardiac surgical care he received.

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Video

Advanced heart care
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Second Opinions

Get peace-of-mind. We welcome second opinion appointments to review cases and proposed treatment plans.

Coming Soon

Clinical Research

The experts at the WVU Heart and Vascular Institute conduct ongoing heart and vascular clinical trials and research studies.

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Academics & Fellowship Programs

Learn more about the WVU School of Medicine Department of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery.

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Our Interventional Cardiology Faculty

Ramesh Daggubati, MD

Associate Chief of Cardiology, Division of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery

Director of the Structural Heart Program, WVU Heart and Vascular Institute

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