Interventional Cardiology

Minimally invasive interventional cardiology gives us a treatment option if open-heart surgery poses too high of a risk for you. We use advanced heart imaging to guide thin, flexible tubes called catheters through a small incision in your thigh or wrist. We move it slowly into your heart’s delicate blood vessels and valves to treat many heart conditions and valve diseases, including:

• Acute coronary syndrome
• Aortic valve stenosis
• Atrial fibrillation
• Atrial and ventricular septal defects
• Chronic total occlusion
• Coronary artery disease
• Heart attack
• Heart failure
• Left ventricular hypertrophy
• Mitral or tricuspid valve regurgitation
• Mitral valve stenosis and prolapse
• Patent foramen ovale

Our team also uses interventional cardiology techniques to assess your heart’s health. They’ll look for things that could increase the risk of heart attacks or strokes, especially if you’ve experienced symptoms like breathlessness or high blood pressure.

Your Interventional Cardiology Evaluation

Our interventional cardiologists monitor and treat even the most complex forms of coronary artery disease, including chronic total occlusion — a complete coronary artery blockage.

When you meet with your consultant, you may have tests to help us confirm a diagnosis and decide if you’re a suitable candidate for interventional treatments.

Diagnostic cardiac catheterisation

Cardiac catheterisation provides detailed information about blood flow and pressure in your heart’s vessels. Our cardiac catheter lab has the latest equipment that allows us to combine minimally invasive, catheter-based tests with noninvasive tests, such as echocardiography. This approach helps us make customised treatment decisions. Your cardiac lab testing may include:

• Fractional flow reserve: Measures blood flow on either side of a coronary artery blockage
• Intravascular ultrasound: Helps us examine plaque buildup on artery walls
• Optical coherence tomography: Creates highly detailed pictures of your arteries

Your interventional cardiology treatment plan will depend on your specific diagnosis and needs. We will explain each option and ensure your questions are answered so you can move forward with confidence.

Percutaneous coronary intervention

This minimally invasive, catheter-based procedure often replaces the need for bypass surgery when you have a fully blocked coronary artery. We use catheters, special guidewires and balloons to widen the artery. We will then place a tube called a stent to keep it open.

Our team may combine percutaneous coronary intervention with another procedure, rotational atherectomy, to break up stubborn blockages called coronary calcifications before using an artery-widening balloon or placing a stent.

Interventions for structural and valve problems

At Cleveland Clinic London, you can receive the latest interventional care for structural conditions in your heart’s walls, chambers or muscles. We also provide interventions for problems with your heart’s valves.

These minimally invasive treatments can help relieve chest pain, breathlessness, palpitations and other symptoms. They can also reduce your risk of a stroke or pulmonary hypertension (increased pressure in your lung’s blood vessels). For structural problems, we may use interventional cardiology to do these procedures:

• Atrial septal defect closure
• Left atrial appendage closure
• Paravalvular leak closure
• Patent foramen ovale closure

Our valvular interventions include:

• Transcatheter aortic valve implantation
• Transcatheter edge-to-edge-repair

Paying for Private Interventional Cardiology Care

Before you start treatment, we will provide you with a personalised estimate that covers every aspect of your treatment plan — with the most accurate pricing possible.

You can use private medical insurance or our self-pay options to cover the cost of your treatment. You can even pay in instalments through our partner, Chrysalis Finance. We make getting expert private care and settling your account as simple as possible.

What’s Next

When you need care for a heart condition, you want a combination of expertise and innovation. At Cleveland Clinic London, we bring together top consultants and minimally invasive treatment options to help you get the care you need. Working as a team, we ensure that you have a comprehensive treatment plan. We also move quickly to book your appointments so that you can get started with your care as soon as possible. Throughout your entire care plan, we’re here to support and guide you — helping you move forward with confidence.