Minimally Invasive Cardiac Catheterization

State-of-the-Art Cardiac Catheterization

Interventional cardiology represents a breakthrough in veterinary cardiac care, allowing board-certified specialists to repair heart defects and treat arrhythmias without opening the chest cavity. These procedures use cardiac catheterization, where thin, flexible tubes (catheters) are guided through blood vessels to reach the heart under real-time fluoroscopic imaging (a moving x-ray). What once required major surgery with weeks of recovery can now be accomplished through an access point smaller than a drinking straw. For conditions like patent ductus arteriosus in puppies or life-threatening bradycardia in older dogs, interventional procedures offer curative solutions with minimal trauma to surrounding tissues.

The precision of catheter-based interventions makes them ideal for pets who might not tolerate traditional surgery due to age, size, or concurrent health conditions. During procedures like balloon valvuloplasty, our cardiologists can watch on fluoroscopy as they position and inflate the balloon to open a narrowed valve, immediately improving blood flow. With pacemaker implantations,  leads are threaded through veins directly into the heart chamber, where they’re secured without ever opening the chest cavity. This technological advancement means that a Chihuahua with a congenital heart defect or an older pet with a heart block can receive life-saving treatment previously reserved for much larger or younger patients. Most remarkably, at times pets can walk out of our facility the same day, immediately returning to normal activities while their traditionally treated counterparts would still be in intensive care.

Benefits of Minimally Invasive Cardiac Procedures:

• Pacemaker Implantation For Slow Heart Rates
• Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA) Occlusion
• Balloon Valvuloplasty For Narrowed Valves
• Heartworm Extraction
• ASD/VSD (hole in the heart)
• Defect Closure

These procedures often provide permanent solutions, with most pets returning home the same or next day and resuming normal activities within days rather than weeks.