Heart Procedures We Perform

No one has yet found the perfect cure for irregular heartbeats, such as atrial fibrillation. However, a non-surgical, catheter-based technique called ablation performed at Munson Medical Center has about an 80 percent long-term success rate in eliminating the condition.

Angioplasty is a procedure that opens blocked arteries and restores normal blood flow to your heart muscle. It is not major surgery. People with blockages in their heart arteries may need angioplasty if they are having discomfort in their chest, or if their blockages put them at risk of a heart attack or of dying.

Brachytherapy is a very effective therapy that delivers targeted, high doses of radiation inside a blocked coronary artery where a stent is present.

Radiation therapy that targets recurring blockage has two purposes: to treat the blockage itself by killing the cells that have re-blocked the stent, and to prevent further blockage by inhibiting tissue growth.

Cardiac catheterization is used to diagnose and treat cardiovascular conditions. During a catheterization, angiograms (X-ray videos), pressure recordings, and other measurements help your cardiologist check for coronary artery disease (disease in the heart's arteries), valvular heart disease (disease in the heart’s valves), congenital heart disease (heart disease you were born with), and other conditions. This is one of the most helpful procedures for giving your physician a clear picture of your heart’s overall health.

The CardioMEMS Heart Failure System is the first FDA-approved monitoring device proven to significantly reduce hospital admissions among heart failure patients.

Munson Medical Center was one of the first hospitals in the nation to begin offering this innovative, groundbreaking technology in 2015.

Percutaneous coronary intervention is a non-surgical method used to open narrowed arteries that supply your heart muscle with blood (coronary arteries). Percutaneous means “through unbroken skin.”

Percutaneous coronary intervention is performed by inserting a catheter through the skin in the groin or arm into an artery. This procedure is also known as angioplasty, balloon angioplasty, and coronary artery balloon dilation.

These tests look at your heart's electrical function and locate places inside your heart that may be causing abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias). The studies are performed in a special lab by an electrophysiologist (a cardiologist who specializes in studying and treating the electrical system of the heart), who works with a team of nurses and technologists.

EECP therapy is an outpatient treatment for angina and heart failure. During this noninvasive procedure, inflatable bags are wrapped around the legs (like a blood pressure cuff around the arm) and inflated and deflated in rhythm with your heartbeat. This treatment may be able to decrease the symptoms of angina and improve oxygen flow.

Munson Medical Center’s heart team includes a group of highly-experienced cardiovascular surgeons who perform heart surgery to bypass blocked arteries or replace faulty heart valves.

Cardiothoracic Surgeons of Grand Traverse is repeatedly recognized in the state and nation as a top-rated heart bypass surgical group. Five cardiothoracic surgeons lead a team of physician assistants, nurse practitioners, perfusionists, and hospital staff who specialize in heart surgery patients.

This tiny battery-powered device can be surgically implanted in your chest to monitor your heart rhythm. If a dangerous arrhythmia (irregular beat) is detected, the device automatically sends a small electrical impulse in an attempt to return the heartbeat to normal.

A pacemaker is a small electronic device that takes over the job of providing the electrical impulses needed to establish an appropriate heart rhythm. It keeps track of your normal heartbeat, and can sense when it becomes too slow. When that happens, the pacemaker generates a small electrical impulse, very similar to the heart's natural impulse. This keeps your heart beating at a normal pace.

Therapeutic hypothermia is controlled, temporary cooling of a patient’s body temperature. Munson Medical Center began performing the procedure in 2009.

About 90 percent of the 300,000 Americans who suffer a heart attack outside of a hospital die each year. For decades, conventional wisdom has been that if the heart stops beating longer than six to 10 minutes, the brain is dead. Mounting evidence of survival with little to no brain damage prompted hospitals around the country – including Munson Medical Center – to add therapeutic hypothermia to treatment protocols.

Therapeutic hypothermia is controlled, temporary cooling of a patient’s body temperature. Munson Medical Center began performing the procedure in 2009.

Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) uses high-frequency sound waves (ultrasound) to make detailed pictures of your heart and the arteries that lead to and from it. An echo transducer that produces sound waves is attached to a thin tube that passes through your mouth, down your throat and into your esophagus. The sound waves sent to your heart by the probe in your esophagus are translated into pictures on a video screen. Because the esophagus is so close to the upper chambers of the heart, very clear images of those heart structures and valves can be obtained.