Cardiac Catheterization

Located on the sixth floor of St. Mary’s Hospital, the Cardiac Catheterization Lab is digitally connected to the main Prairie Heart Institute office in Springfield. This means that Prairie Cardiovascular physicians performing procedures at St. Mary’s can quickly and conveniently consult directly with their peers in Springfield.

Common procedures performed in the lab include pacemaker insertions and diagnostic catheterizations used to identify blockages in the arteries leading to the heart. At St. Mary’s, cardiac catheterizations can be performed through the radial artery in the wrist, which improves patient mobility post-procedure, or through an artery in the groin. Your physician will determine the best approach for you based on your individual anatomy and medical history.

If a blockage is identified during the catheterization, an interventional cardiology procedure can often be performed at St. Mary’s to treat it. If open-heart surgery is recommended, the specialists at the Prairie Heart Institute in Springfield have immediate access to the results of your catheterization and your electronic medical records, thereby providing continuity of care for you.

St. Mary’s catheterization lab benefits from a GE Innova™ 2000 all-digital cardiovascular imaging system, which offers superior image quality at a very low radiation dose and enables cardiologists to better view and treat coronary artery blockages that could contribute to cardiovascular damage and heart attack.

For more information about St. Mary’s cardiac catheterization services, please call 464-2846.