Your soul mate
can look into your eyes and see
what’s inside your heart. Your doctor has to take a less
poetic approach. Even so, your doctor’s method is far
from mundane. With the right tools and training, he or
she can safely find and fix many heart problems from the
inside—with no chest incision required.
One such method is cardiac catheterization. It involves
the use of a catheter—a long, thin, flexible tube that’s
inserted into a blood vessel in the groin or arm. From
there, the tube is carefully advanced to the heart, where
it can be used to do a number of tests and treatments.
Cardiac catheterization can help your doctor spot heart
defects, plan surgery, evaluate heart-valve function, or
locate infection or cancer. Often, it’s used to diagnose and
treat chest pain—a symptom of coronary heart disease
that occurs when blood vessels that feed the heart become
narrowed or blocked.
To spot problem blood vessels, the catheter is advanced
to the heart and a dye is released to help the heart and
blood vessels show up more clearly on x-rays.
If a narrowed vessel is found, another catheter can be
used to do an angioplasty—a procedure in which a tiny
balloon is moved to the blockage and inflated to expand
the artery and restore blood flow.
Stenting
If additional support is needed for the
compromised area, a stent is placed as part of the
procedure.
A stent is a small mesh tube that’s used to
treat narrow or weak arteries.
Stents usually are made of metal mesh. Some stents
are coated with medicine that is slowly and continu-
ously released into the artery. These stents are called
drug-eluting stents. The medicine helps prevent the
artery from becoming blocked again.
What to expect
If you need cardiac catheterization,
your doctor will explain how to prepare for the proce-
dure. Usually it’s done at the hospital. You’ll be awake,
but you’ll get medicine to help you relax.
The spot where the catheter goes in is numbed, a
small hole is made in the blood vessel, and a tapered
tube called a sheath is inserted. Aided by special x-rays,
the doctor threads a thin, flexible guide wire through
the sheath to the heart. The catheter is fitted over the
wire and correctly positioned so that tests and treat-
ments can be done.
After the procedure, the catheter, wire and sheath
are removed and the blood vessel closed. You’ll be
monitored for several hours or sometimes overnight.
Serious complications are rare. You may develop sore-
ness or a bruise at the incision site.
Sources: American College of Cardiology; National Institutes of Health
Take your heart to rehab
Heart disease doesn’t
simply go away after a
heart attack or a heart intervention such as a stent, an-
gioplasty or bypass surgery—you’ll still need to make
healthy changes to help avoid further heart troubles. And
you’ll want to get back to work and other activities once
you’re strong again and it’s safe to do so.
The Los Robles Hospital & Medical Center Outpatient
Cardiac Rehab Program can help with these goals and
more. It is designed to assist patients in their return to a
productive lifestyle following a cardiac event.
The 12-week program consists of one-hour sessions
three times a week and begins when the patient receives
a prescription from his or her physician to resume or
start an exercise program. Each patient participates in a
monitored exercise program that is customized for that
patient’s needs. The course is covered by most health
insurance plans.
Cardiac education, reduction in risk factors, stress
modification techniques and dietary instruction are of-
fered during the sessions. Spouses and family members are
welcome to attend the informational lectures. Guidance
is given to each patient regarding progression of exercise
and daily activities as recovery improves. Monthly prog-
ress reports are sent to the patient’s physician.
The team
The cardiac rehab team consists of a board-
certified cardiologist serving as a medical director,
registered nurses trained in cardiovascular medicine
and advanced cardiac life support, a dietitian, and a
pharmacist.
Nonmonitored program
After completing the
12-week program, participants can use the knowledge
and confidence they’ve gained and join the phase 3
fitness nonmonitored program for a nominal fee. Our
cardiac rehab team remains available to all graduates
to offer guidance, information and continued support,
including periodic follow-up sessions to assess exercise
and dietary progress.
Admission to the program requires a referral from
your personal physician. Once you’re part of the pro-
gram, an initial assessment is done, consisting of a
health history, personal risk factor assessment, body
composition analysis, cardiopulmonary assessment and
program objective planning.
Many insurance carriers, including Medicare, usually
cover the majority of the program costs. Please check
with your insurance carrier for coverage details.
The rehab center
Located at the Los Robles Hospital
& Medical Center East Campus, our rehab center has
the equipment you need to get started and maintain
your goals. The available exercise equipment includes
treadmills, ellipticals, StairMasters, stationary bicycles,
free weights and more.
To find out if cardiac rehabilitation is right for you,
ask your physician. For more information or to tour our
cardiac rehab department at our East Campus, call
805-370-4006
or visit us on Monday, Wednesday
or Friday between 6:30 a.m. and 3 p.m., or Tuesday or
Thursday between 6:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.
To find a board-certified
cardiologist, call Los Robles Hospital
& Medical Center’s free physician
referral line at 877-888-5746.
ROLLING IN REHAB: Each participant in the Los
Robles Outpatient Cardiac Rehab Program follows a
customized, monitored exercise program.
Cardiac Catheterization
An Inside Job
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