Improved Outcomes Through Radial Catheterization Last year more than 3,200 Cone Health patients benefitted from outpatient radial catheterizations to diagnose and treat heart disease. Instead of inserting the catheter through the femoral artery in the groin, the cardiologist makes a small puncture at the wrist and guides the catheter to the heart through the radial artery in the arm. Studies of patient outcomes for both procedures show that radial catheterization is safer and more comfortable for patients. A 2016 report showed a 77 percent reduction in complications such as heart attacks, strokes and major bleeding with the radial procedure. Coronary Artery Disease | Interventional Cardiology Every minute counts when a heart attack happens. That’s why the Cone Health Heart and Vascular Center continues to look for ways to reduce the time from arrival to lifesaving treatment. These efforts are paying off; statistics show our response rate is more than twice as fast as national guidelines. Our coordinated care plan – now the national standard of care for heart attacks – starts with emergency responders. They perform an EKG and other diagnostic tests while the patient is on the way to the hospital. Results are then transmitted electronically to our interventional cardiologists. If a heart attack is in progress, the patient may bypass the emergency department and go directly to the cardiac catheterization lab for intervention. In addition to treating heart attacks, our interventional cardiologists perform other complex heart procedures, including: • coronary angioplasty for chronic totally occluded coronary arteries; • closing a patent foramen ovale (a hole between upper chambers of the heart) to prevent stroke; • Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (see p. 16); • Watchman device implantation to reduce the risk of blood clots (see p. 32). Soon after radial catheterization, the patient is free to sit, walk around and head home the same day. By contrast, patients must lie still in a hospital bed for several hours after catheterization through the groin. A Cone Health cardiologist inflates the cuff on a transradial compression bracelet to stop any bleeding following a radial catheterization procedure. 41 minutes – Cone Health’s average “door-to-balloon” time - the period from hospital arrival to the opening of the blocked artery - is less than half the national standard of 90 minutes established by the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology. Exceptional Heart Care. Every Day.™ The nationally certified Chest Pain Unit at Moses Cone Hospital, directed by Peter Nishan, MD, helps patients with stable chest pain who are at low risk of heart attack, but who also have a history suggestive of coronary artery disease. 10 11 CONE HEALTH | HEART AND VASCULAR CENTER CONE HEALTH | THE NETWORK FOR EXCEPTIONAL CARE