Prof. Dr.
Kadriye Kılıçkesmez

Interventional cardiology is most commonly preferred in the treatment of coronary artery stenoses, heart vessel occlusions, some congenital heart diseases and heart valve diseases. Since it offers diagnosis and treatment without the need for open-heart surgery, it may be the primary option in suitable patients.

Procedures are usually performed with the help of a catheter by entering through the groin or wrist. Depending on the intervention performed, the duration may vary between 20 minutes and 1 hour. Most patients are discharged on the same day or the next day.

More careful evaluation is required in patients with advanced kidney failure, active infection or serious bleeding risk. However, thanks to modern technologies and experienced teams, the risks are quite low for most patients.

Patients can generally return to daily life in a short time. It is recommended to avoid heavy exercise for the first few days. Mild pain or bruising at the entry site is considered normal and resolves in a short time.

Interventional cardiology is less invasive than open-heart surgery, most of the time general anesthesia is not required and the recovery period is shorter. However, it may not be suitable for every patient and surgery may be necessary in some cases.

Stent placement allows the narrowed vessel to be kept open with the help of a metal mesh. In this way, blood flow to the heart muscle increases and complaints such as chest pain decrease.

It can be performed in mandatory cases, but very careful planning is made due to the risk of radiation. The decision is made by evaluating the benefit to the mother and baby together.

Especially in patients who have had a stent placed, blood-thinning medications are vitally important. These medications prevent the stent from becoming blocked and directly affect the long-term success of the treatment.

The success rate is quite high in suitable patients. However, smoking, irregular nutrition and interruption of medications may lead to vessel narrowing again in the long term.

Interventional cardiology doctors diagnose and treat heart and vascular diseases with non-surgical catheter-based methods. These procedures are generally performed in angiography laboratories.

The main procedures performed are as follows:

Coronary angiography, stent and balloon angioplasty, septal alcohol ablation, PFO and ASD closure, mitral and aortic valve interventions (TAVI, MitraClip), and renal and peripheral angioplasty.