If you have a heart condition, you will likely see an interventional cardiologist at some point.

The expert interventional cardiologists at OHSU Knight Cardiovascular Institute use catheter-based procedures to diagnose and treat heart and blood vessel conditions. These are minimally invasive procedures that help you avoid the need for open heart surgery. We have the largest team of interventional cardiologists in the state.

At OHSU, you’ll find: 

• State-of-the-art technology
• World-class experts in interventional cardiology treatments
• New procedures like drug-coated balloon angioplasty to treat blocked blood vessels
• Team-based care that includes general cardiologists, cardiac imaging specialists and the cardiovascular intensive care unit
• Access to clinical trials and research studies

What is interventional cardiology?

Interventional cardiology is a less invasive way to diagnose and treat heart conditions. Interventional cardiologists use thin, flexible tubes called catheters to find and fix problems in your heart or blood vessels.

We help many people avoid open-heart surgery, which is more invasive and has a longer recovery time. After a minimally invasive procedure, most people leave the hospital the same day or the next day.

Benefits of minimally invasive procedures also include:

• Lower risk of complications
• Reduced pain and scarring
• Improved symptoms and quality of life
• Lower costs than open-heart surgery

Our excellence

Our team is part of the OHSU Knight Cardiovascular Institute, the biggest and most experienced heart program in Oregon. We offer treatments and procedures that other hospitals in the region don’t, such as renal denervation, a procedure to lower high blood pressure when medicine isn’t enough.

World-class care: As Oregon’s only academic health center, OHSU can treat the most complex and rare conditions.

Expertise: Our interventional cardiologists trained all over the world. Our team has a wide range of expertise that is unique in Oregon.

Research: OHSU actively participates in clinical trials for new devices and treatments. Our team can help you get access to treatments that aren’t available elsewhere in the region.

Conditions we treat

Interventional cardiology treats a wide variety of heart conditions. Your doctor might suggest an interventional cardiology procedure if you’ve been diagnosed with: 

• Coronary artery disease
• Heart valve disease
• Peripheral artery disease
• Heart failure
• Angina (chest pain)
• Atherosclerosis
• Adult congenital heart disease
• Atrial fibrillation
• Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
• Myocarditis
• Resistant hypertension

Interventional cardiology treatments

OHSU offers more interventional cardiology treatments than any other hospital in Oregon. We’re also the only hospital that can repair or replace any heart valve with these minimally invasive, catheter-based procedures.

Some of the interventional cardiology treatments we specialize in include:

• Cardiac catheterization, which helps doctors find and treat blockages in your heart's blood vessels.
• Percutaneous coronary intervention, which opens blocked arteries to treat heart attacks and chest pain (angina).
• Renal denervation, which helps lower high blood pressure (hypertension) by treating nerves in the kidneys.
• Heart valve repair or replacement, which uses tiny devices to fix damaged heart valves.
• Structural heart defect closures, which closes holes caused by congenital (present at birth) heart disease or other conditions.

Clinical trials at OHSU

OHSU is a leader in clinical trials and research studies. This means you may have access to treatments and procedures you can’t get at other hospitals in the region.

Your doctor might recommend a clinical trial if your condition isn’t responding to treatment. You can talk to your doctor if you have questions about clinical trials or if you want to participate in one.

Home of the world’s first angioplasty

In 1964, OHSU's Dr. Charles T. Dotter performed the world's first transluminal angioplasty, a procedure in which he used a catheter to open a blocked artery. Virtually overnight, the field of interventional radiology was born.

Dr. Dotter became known as the father of interventional radiology and was nominated for the Nobel Prize in medicine in 1978. Today, nearly a million angioplasties are performed in the United States each year.