Maryland Heart Center
Treatment Options
UMMC's Heart and Heart Surgery Program ranked as
one of the nation's 50 best by
U.S. News &
World Report's 2011 "Best Hospitals" survey.
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Non-Surgical Treatments
Maryland Heart Center cardiologists offer the latest medical treatments
for patients with both simple and complex cardiac conditions.
Some of these treatments are listed below:
- Angioplasty -
a procedure used to open or widen blocked coronary arteries and improve blood
flow to the heart.
- Atrial Septal Defect Closure - a minimally
invasive treatment for atrial septal defects, which are abnormal holes in
the wall of the upper chambers of the heart, in which pediatric cardiologists
close the hole with a mesh device delivered through a catheter instead of
by open heart surgery.
For More Information
This short video shows how Angioplasty is used to open narrowed or blocked arteries
caused by deposits of plaque.
Requires QuickTime: (download for free)
- Radiofrequency Ablation - a procedure that uses a catheter and a
device for mapping the electrical pathways of the heart. After you are given
medicine to relax you, a catheter is inserted into a vein and guided to your
heart. Using high-frequency radio waves, doctors can destroy (ablate) the
pathways causing the arrhythmia.
- Stenting - a coronary stent implant is a therapeutic cardiac procedure
that involves placing a stent, a small mesh-like wire tube, in a narrowed
artery to keep it open and expanded. The stent is left permanently in place
in the artery and it is usually done following angioplasty.
- Valvuloplasty - a non-surgical procedure performed to open narrowed
heart valves. During the procedure, a catheter is guided through the heart
and positioned through the diseased heart valve. Balloons on the catheter
are inflated, enlarging the opening through the valve and improving blood
flow through the heart and to the rest of the body. This allows the heart
to pump more effectively, reduces pressure in the heart and lungs, and reduces
symptoms.
- Heart Medicines/Pharmacology - Heart Center cardiologists monitor
and adjust medications to treat cardiac conditions and reduce the risk of
future heart problems. Heart medications are an important part of the treatment
process, as they can help by:
- preventing blood clots
- thinning the blood
- reducing cholesterol
- lowering blood pressure
- correcting abnormal heart rhythms
- improving heart function
- controlling heart failure
Please call if you would like to make an
appointment or talk to someone about our services. Patients dial 1-800-492-5538
or 410-328-5842, physicians dial 410-328-6622 or 1-800-318-1019.
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