If You Need A Heart Catheterization – Make The Heart Center of Eastern Maine Your Choice
What is a heart catheterization ("cath")? A heart catheterization is a very serious, but common medical procedure used to diagnose heart disease. In this procedure, a catheter, or a small tube, is inserted into an artery in the groin. The tube is guided through this artery directly into the heart's arteries, where a liquid contrast agent is injected. The doctor watches on a x-ray monitor as the contrast liquid travels through the arteries of the heart. If arteries are blocked or damaged, the doctor will be able to see it very clearly. Throughout this procedure, patients are awake but medicated for comfort.
Not all cardiac cath labs are the same. While all cath labs perform heart catheterization procedures to diagnose blockages in the heart's arteries, not all cath labs can perform the additional interventional procedures often used to correct those blockages. At EMMC, we are proud to offer you the only cath lab in this part of Maine that performs both diagnostic and interventional procedures. What that means to you is the safety and convenience of getting all your care in one place. In fact, we are able to not only diagnose blockages, but, if appropriate, also immediately fix them during the same procedure. This saves you worry, time, and money - and gets you back home quickly with only one trip to the hospital and one procedure in the cath lab.
Imagine the inconvenience and stress of having a diagnostic catheterization, only to be told by the doctor that they have found a problem but they can't fix it. At EMMC, you are in the right place the first time.
If you are having chest pain, or you fear that you may be having a heart attack, every minute counts. That's why it's important to go to a hospital that can treat all of your heart problems quickly and effectively – for residents of central, eastern, and northern Maine… EMMC is the place to go.
You can choose where you go. We encourage you to talk to your doctor about EMMC and its cardiac cath lab. Remember, you should discuss all the options with your doctor before selecting a hospital for your heart catheterization. Keep in mind that approximately 35% of all patients who have a heart catheterization need to have a procedure (such as an angioplasty or stent) to fix the problems that are found. Another 15 percent need the cardiac surgery services that we are also proud to offer at EMMC. Make sure you make the right choice for your heart catheterization – choose EMMC – where you can be diagnosed and treated all in the same place, often at the same time.