Cardiac Catheterization

You’re assured ample procedural experience in cardiac catheterization: At Buffalo General Medical Center alone — one of this rotation’s two training sites — we perform 6,000 such procedures a year.

Supervised by our faculty, you’ll become proficient performing cardiac catheterizations and interpreting the results. You’ll also become adept at performing and interpreting coronary angiography, ventriculography and right heart catheterization.

In addition to performing standard cardiac catheterization procedures, senior fellows with a strong interest in interventional cardiology can assist with the following interventional techniques:

  • percutaenous coronary interventions, of which we perform 1,600/year
  • placements of hemodynamic support devices (intra-aortic balloon pump, Impella device)
  • peripheral arterial angiography and intervention (for renal, iliac and femoral arteries)

As well, you’ll gain limited procedural experience in our structural heart program, which includes the minimally invasive TAVR, MitraClip and Watchman procedures.

You’ll care for both inpatients and outpatients. In addition to procedural responsibilities, you’ll conduct preprocedural assessments.

You’ll also attend hospitalwide cardiac catherization conferences once a week.

If you have a strong interest in cardiac catheterization, we can offer you as many as six additional rotations in the cardiac catheterization lab outside of those required during your training. The experience you gain will help you easily transition into further training in interventional cardiology.

Caseload

Length and Years of Rotation

  • 2 four-week modules in year 1
  • 2 four-week modules in year 2
  • a minimum of 2 additional four-week modules, taken as electives, are necessary to perform cardiac catheterization independently
  • may take up to 12 modules total

Clinical Sites

Patient Population

  • inpatients and outpatients
  • most 50+ years of age
  • predominantly male patients at the Buffalo VAMC

From most common diagnosis to least, patients have:

  • acute/suspected coronary syndromes
  • abnormal noninvasive test results
  • valvular disorders
  • congestive heart failure
  • pulmonary hypertension
  • congenital heart disease
  • suspected pericardial constriction