Interventional Cardiology

The interventional cardiology laboratories at Lankenau, Bryn Mawr, Paoli, and Riddle Hospitals house the most sophisticated technology available to diagnose and treat heart disease. In addition, the heart team at Main Line Health is one of the most experienced and busiest in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania region. Services include:

• Diagnostic catheterization
• Timely treatment for acute myocardial infarction with emergency angioplasty available at all campuses
• Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty (PTCA)
• Laser angioplasty
• Stenting, including drug-eluting stents
• Radial Artery Access—access to the arteries through the arm
• Peripheral diagnostic and interventional procedures

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Technologically advanced facilities and innovative approaches

The 14 state-of-the-art interventional labs at Lankenau, Bryn Mawr, Paoli and Riddle Hospitals provide the most progressive care. Our skilled cardiologists work closely with specially trained cardiac nurses, physician assistants, technologists, anesthesia staff and other members of the Heart Center team.

• The newest catheterization equipment allows cardiologists to see smaller vessels and the interventional devices in greater detail.
• Cardiovascular CT, PET scanning and MRI allow a more timely and accurate diagnosis.
• New closure devices allow patients to get out of bed earlier and facilitate earlier discharge.

Treatments for today and tomorrow

Main Line Health cardiologists participate in research studies on the newest advancements in interventional cardiology such as drug-coated stents and new anticoagulation regimens, and publish in peer-reviewed journals. Some of our academic protocols include:

• Taxus PERSEUS Trial to revaluate the use of new generation drug-eluting stents in challenging cases, including small vessels.
• Bryn Mawr and Lankenau Medical Centers have participated in several drug-eluting stent registries that are large trials that complement the smaller randomized trials. They give additional valuable information on the safety and efficacy of drug-eluting stents in a broad range of clinical settings.
  • The National Heart Lung and Blood Institute angioplasty registry has been ongoing at Lankenau for many years and our cardiologists have recently analyzed the data on the safety of drug-eluting stents in patients with acute myocardial infarction. Lankenau is one of 25 participants, nationally, in this registry.
  • The TC-WYRE and ARRIVE II registries have provided information on both the TAXUS and CYPHER drug-eluting stent outcomes.
• We were one of the leading enrollers in the world for AMIHOT and AMIHOT II sequential studies of aqueous oxygen therapy in acute myocardial infarction.
• We were among the first hospitals to use laser angioplasty for the heart and legs and we provide training for other physicians in these techniques.

Specialists in Peripheral Vascular Disease

Our interventional cardiologists are taking the lead in treating peripheral vascular disease (PVD). Main Line Health cardiovascular specialists provide diagnosis and treatment of PVD, the narrowing or blockage of blood vessels leading to the kidneys, abdomen, legs and brain. We have numerous, innovative methods for opening blocked blood vessels to legs that might otherwise require amputation.

Quality Assurance

We track our results and compare our statistics to the American College of Cardiology. Heart Center physicians also conduct annual updates in cardiology for cardiac physicians and professionals. A residency program in medicine and a cardiology fellowship enhance our academic atmosphere.