Physicians at the Heart and Vascular Center at Rockford Health System are the first in the area to perform catheterization procedures that significantly reduces recovery time and improves patient outcomes using a new method - Transradial Cardiac Catheterization.
“Transradial Cardiac Catheterization uses the wrist, not the groin, for catheter insertion,” says Erbert Caceres, M.D., Interventional Cardiologist. “Cardiac catheterization is a test to check the heart and coronary arteries and helps doctors assess heart muscle functioning and detect heart disease.”
Traditionally, cardiac catheterization uses the femoral artery in the right groin as the point of insertion for the catheter. This entry point is often difficult to access and may be hard to compress after the procedure to stop the bleeding. The recovery time for the femoral approach includes bed rest.
“Transradial Cardiac Catherization is safer, offers no scarring, a decreased risk of bleeding, lowered risk of all complications, less risk of trauma to adjacent nerves and blood vessels, reduced hospital and health care costs and a shorter recovery period,” Dr. Caceres says. “The recovery time for the transradial approach is much shorter and does not include bed rest.”