Interventional procedures, or minimally invasive procedures have gained much popularity in the recent times for the treatment of cardiological issues. Interventional cardiology is a specialty area within the larger field of cardiology. The doctors performing these procedures are specialists in cardiovascular diseases and have had one to two years of education and training specifically in the use of devices such as catheters – thin, flexible tubes – to perform cardiovascular procedures. These procedures, like angioplasty and stenting, are performed by guiding tools through the body’s arteries. In comparison to open surgeries which have higher chance of errors and take longer healing period, minimally invasive interventional procedures are a better alternative and as a result many patients are opting for these minimally invasive interventional procedures over open surgeries.
Let us look at some of the most frequently used Interventional Cardiology Devices globally in the market and understand how they make a huge difference when it comes to opting for minimally invasive procedures against open surgeries performed using traditional equipment.
- Stents – Even though they remain the largest segment in the Global Interventional Cardiology Devices Market, it is likely that the revenue of stents particularly in the US market will drop and due to better drug management, decreased average selling prices and slowed growth in the number of angioplasty procedures across the region. Nonetheless, despite the reducing revenue, stents still remain the most frequently used device in the minimally invasive procedures performed across the globe.
- Catheter – Intravenous treatments are a much smoother process now, thanks to catheters. A catheter is simply a plastic tube that can be placed at the beginning of a blood vessel to deliver treatments/medicines and essential liquids inside that blood vessel. Catheters are used for multiple reasons and procedures. During diagnostic angiogram, x-ray dye flows through the catheter into the arteries so that the cardiologist can view images of any blockages in the artery. During angioplasty, a balloon or another device is mounted on the catheter’s tip and guided to the narrowed section of the artery over a guide wire. The device on the catheter is then used to reopen the artery for blood flow.
- Guide wire – Another popular device used in the Global Interventional Cardiology Devices Market a guidewire is threaded through a blood vessel to the site where treatment will be delivered.
- Balloon – Simply put Angioplasty balloons are inflatable portions of catheters. An interventional cardiologist threads a balloon catheter over a guide wire to the site of a blockage in a blood vessel. The balloon is then inflated and deflated several times to push the blockage or plaque aside and restore blood flow in the artery.
A specific type of balloon, called the cutting balloon is a catheter device with a special balloon tip containing small blades that are activated when the balloon is inflated. This is used to treat plaque that is resistant to a traditional balloon as the the small blades move the plaque as the balloon compresses the fatty matter into the wall of the artery.
- Intravascular Ultrasound – Abbreviated as IVUS, this procedure like the normal ultrasound uses sound waves to create the image of an internal organ. An IVUS test is performed using a catheter with an ultrasound probe at the end is threaded over a guide wire in the artery to the area to be tested.
These are just a few devices that are used frequently by doctors and surgeons. There are many other devices in the Global Interventional Cardiology Devices Market that are making minimally invasive procedures possible.
