Interventional cardiology devices belong to the catheter-based treatment of heart diseases, such as coronary artery disease, congenital heart defect, and aneurysm. Interventional cardiology is the branch of cardiology that uses specialized catheter-based techniques to diagnose and treat heart diseases as well as congenital (present at birth) and structural heart conditions. Although the use of catheters may have been more widespread earlier on, there are now more people being treated surgically than using them for minor procedures.
The demand for interventional cardiology devices has increased due to the increasing prevalence of heart diseases, worldwide. According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), a German federal government agency, heart diseases are the leading cause of death in Germany, causing a total of 40% of all deaths. Moreover, they are associated with significant health consequences and result in high medical costs. Interventional cardiology devices help reduce the complications, as they provide fast recovery, short hospital stay, and controlled bleeding.
Since the advent of percutaneous coronary intervention, significant improvements have been made in equipment and techniques used to treat heart diseases. The results have been amazingly successful, with relatively fewer complications. Moreover, there has been an ongoing trend to use endovascular techniques to manage many surgical conditions, as well as to reduce open surgical interventions. Interventional cardiology involves the insertion of the catheter into the vein or a large peripheral artery or femoral artery and the entire procedure is executed using fluoroscopy through the catheter.
Interventional cardiology is a minimally invasive procedure as it does not require any large incisions or devices entering the body. The incisions made in this process are about an inch. Interventional cardiology devices, such as Angiography Catheters, PTCA Guidewires, IVUS, Guiding Catheters, Stents, and Balloon Inflation Devices, are used to diagnose and treat heart diseases as well as congenital (present at birth) and structural heart conditions.