Interventional Cardiology

Experts in lifesaving minimally invasive cardiovascular care

Interventional cardiology uses minimally invasive techniques for patients who need heart or vascular treatment. We are one of the region’s highest-volume interventional cardiology programs, averaging more than 12,000 procedures a year at MedStar Washington Hospital Center and MedStar Union Memorial Hospital. Our doctors treat patients in advanced labs dedicated to cardiac catheterization, with integrated imaging and interventional technology for the most favorable outcomes.

Our doctors are national leaders in the use of transradial catheterization.  During this minimally invasive procedure, doctors insert a catheter into an artery in the wrist rather than the groin to reach the heart. For most patients, this approach offers a faster recovery time with less pain and bleeding.

Lowell Satler, MD, Medical Director of the Cardiovascular Training and Educational Center and Director of Coronary Interventions at MedStar Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C.

We constantly push the envelope of interventional cardiology. Every week, our Cardiac Catheterization Conference, open to doctors and researchers all over the world, keeps our team on the leading edge of the latest advances in the field. We’re always among the nation’s first sites to evaluate new technologies and treatments. And our doctors serve as expert consultants for cardiologists throughout the mid-Atlantic region, evaluating hundreds of complex cases each month.

Some of the many procedures our nationally recognized interventional cardiologists offer include:

• Angioplasty
• Left atrial appendage closure
• MitraClip
• Mitral valvuloplasty
• Pulmonary valve repair and replacement
• Stenting
• Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR)
• Treatments for patent foramen ovales and atrial septal defects
• Tricuspid valve surgery