№ 4Cardiology13 min read
Interventions in cardiology 4: coronary angioplasty and stent implantation, catheter ablation, pacemaker therapy
1. Big picture
This topic is about therapeutic cardiology interventions: procedures that do not only diagnose disease, but actively treat it.
| Intervention | Main problem treated | Core mechanism |
|---|---|---|
| Coronary angioplasty + stent implantation / PCI | Coronary stenosis or occlusion | Opens the artery and keeps it open |
| Catheter ablation | Recurrent tachyarrhythmia | Destroys or electrically isolates arrhythmogenic tissue |
| Pacemaker therapy | Symptomatic bradycardia or conduction block | Provides electrical stimulation when intrinsic rhythm is too slow |
| CRT / ICD | Heart failure dyssynchrony / malignant ventricular arrhythmia risk | Resynchronizes ventricles / terminates VT/VF |
Exam core: Blocked artery → PCI. Re-entry tachycardia → ablation. Symptomatic bradycardia or high-grade AV block → pacemaker. LBBB + HFrEF → CRT. VT/VF risk → ICD.
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