Cardiovascular - Dignity Health St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center

At Dignity Health St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, our cardiologists specialize in vascular surgery. This includes managing conditions of your vascular system – your arteries, veins and lymphatic circulation. We treat these conditions through:

• Medical therapy

• Minimally invasive catheter procedures

• Surgical reconstruction

Learn more about vascular care

Cardiac catheterization is a medical procedure that our cardiologists use to evaluate your heart function. They use it to help treat and diagnose many cardiovascular conditions.

During the procedure, a specialist inserts a long, thin tube called a catheter into an artery or vein—usually in your groin, neck or arm. This catheter has a light and camera, and often treatment tools. It is then carefully guided to the area of your heart that needs assessment.

Our cardiologists are trained in heart valve repair. Some common procedures they perform include:

• Mitral valve repair: Doctors use this procedure to repair your heart’s mitral valve. Your doctor may perform this with open-heart surgery or through a minimally invasive approach. For the minimally invasive option, a small clip is placed on the valve using a catheter guided through a vein in your leg. This helps the valve close properly and improve blood flow to your heart.

• Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR): This is a minimally invasive procedure, where specialists use a catheter to replace a narrowed aortic valve that is not opening properly.

We accept most insurance plans. To make sure you have access to the care you need, we recommend confirming your insurance coverage, eligibility and benefits before your visit. If you have questions about the plans we accept, please call our office at (602) 406-1150.