Specialists in the interventional cardiology program at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois, have led the way in the search for better nonsurgical methods for diagnosing and treating patients with narrowed blood vessels. Interventional cardiologists at Rush remain on the leading edge of care through involvement in clinical trials designed to expand the arsenal of weapons for fighting heart disease. For example, cardiologists at Rush were the first in Chicago to conduct gene therapy trials to stimulate the growth of new blood vessels in the heart, a promising new treatment that can actually reduce chronic chest pain. And Rush is one of just 50 medical centers in the nation testing an innovative miniature filter called a CardioShield, which works during angioplasty to prevent debris from reaching the heart and causing a heart attack.

Treatments are available for patients with narrowed coronary arteries (which supply blood to the heart), peripheral arteries (which supply blood to the legs, feet, kidneys and abdomen) and carotid arteries (which supply blood to the head and neck). Cutting-edge care includes:

• A full range of techniques to clear blocked coronary and leg arteries and keep them open. This includes the latest advances in angioplasty, such as brachytherapy (radiation) and drug-coated stents.
• Innovative techniques for treating blocked carotid arteries, including carotid stenting, a minimally invasive procedure in which doctors access and treat the artery using a catheter rather than a scalpel. Rush is one of the leading centers in the Midwest for trials of this technique.
• Endovascular stent grafting for the treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysms. Interventional cardiologists collaborate with Rush’s top cardiac surgery team to help patients with this life-threatening condition.

Other interventional cardiology techniques available at Rush:

• Atrial septal defect and patent foramen closures, techniques to repair congenital heart defects.
• Rotoblation, an interventional technique in which a burr coated with diamond chips is inserted into a narrowed artery using a catheter. The burr is rotated at high speed to remove plaque, the substance that narrows the arteries.
• Thrombectomy, a technique that uses a special catheter to remove blood clots from coronary arteries.
• Valvuloplasty, an interventional procedure using a balloon-tipped catheter to treat narrowed heart valves.
• Alcohol ablation, an interventional technique in which alcohol is injected into a branch of a narrowed coronary artery to treat a condition called idiopathic hypertrophic subaortic stenosis.
• Pericardiocentesis, a procedure to remove fluid from the sac surrounding the heart.
• Myocardial biopsy, a technique in which a special instrument is used to remove tiny pieces of heart tissue for study under a microscope.

The interventional cardiology team at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois, includes board-certified cardiologists, cardiology fellows, registered nurses and certified technicians. Interventional cardiologists at Rush are also key players in one of Chicago’s most innovative vascular disease programs. This program pools the talents of cardiologists, cerebrovascular neurologists, interventional radiologists, neurosurgeons and vascular surgeons to offer every available option to patients with blocked carotid arteries.