What Is Cardiovascular Technology?

According to the American Heart Association, heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. Technology is available to diagnose and treat cardiovascular disease, so people with heart disease can resume normal activities. Cardiovascular technology allows physicians to use cardiac and vascular procedures such as EKGs, stents, balloons, sound waves, computerized imaging and insertion of pacemakers.

Vascular Technology

• Vascular technology Is the use of machines and instruments to diagnose and treat blood circulation disorders that can cause cardiovascular disease. Vascular technology focuses on using sonograms and pressure-measuring devices to diagnose vein and artery disease. Vascular physicians use noninvasive technology and invasive cardiology techniques for diagnosis and treatment of disease.

Noninvasive Cardiology

• Noninvasive cardiology involves use of non-surgical techniques such as high-energy sound waves to evaluate the condition of the heart, arteries and blood vessels. Doppler color flow imaging allows physicians to visualize blood flow through the heart chambers. Echocardiography is use of ultrasounds to examine the heart and blood vessels. Electrocardiograms (EKGs) trace electrical activity in the heart. Holter monitors are portable EKG monitors used to record heart activity during a patient's normal activities. Stress tests monitor the heart as a patient walks on a treadmill while attached to an EKG monitor.

Cardiac Catheterization

• Cardiac catheterization is an invasive diagnosis technology in which a small catheter is inserted through a needle into blood vessels and the heart to record X-rays and angiograms and to measure blood flow. Cardiac catheterization is also used to perform angioplasty in which a balloon catheter is inserted to open clogged arteries.

Invasive Cardiology

• Invasive cardiology allows physicians to diagnose and treat cardiovascular and peripheral vascular disease using specialized technological equipment and instruments that are inserted into the patient's body. Cardiac catheters are one type of invasive cardiology technology. Stents are small spring-like coils inserted into clogged arteries to open them. Pacemakers are medical devices inserted into the body to regulate heartbeat.

Robotically Assisted Surgery

• New coronary artery bypass surgery uses a robotic arm to assist surgeons by holding open the sac surrounding the heart and removing the mammary artery through a small incision. The physician can then bypass blocked arteries by grafting the mammary artery around them to provide a new path for blood to flow to the heart. Robotically assisted surgery uses a smaller incision that causes less scarring than regular surgery. The patient has a lower risk of infection, less pain and bleeding, a shorter hospital stay and faster recovery time.

Transmyocardial Revascularization (TMR)

• Transmyocardial revascularization is a procedure that relieves angina (heart pain) by using a computer to direct a laser into a targeted area of the heart between heartbeats. The laser creates a number of small channels in the heart to improve blood flow and grow new small blood vessels to provide more blood for the heart muscle.