Complex Coronary Intervention Program

Overview

Anyone with coronary heart disease can benefit from the expertise within the Complex Coronary Intervention Program at the Massachusetts General Hospital Corrigan Minehan Heart Center.

In particular, we treat patients who have been:

• Turned down for bypass surgery
• Turned down for stenting
• Told there are no options to fix coronary blockages 

If you have chest discomfort, chest pain, or shortness of breath due to coronary heart blockages that have not been fixed, please call us at 866-644-8910 to request a consultation.

Treatments and Procedures

The Complex Coronary Intervention Program is made up of a highly experienced clinical team that plans and applies a treatment process that is tailored to each patient’s condition, age, symptoms and risk factors. Physicians draw upon several diagnostic tests and procedures to determine the best line of treatment. These diagnostic procedures include:

• Cardiac CT scanning
• Echocardiography
• Cardiac catheterization
• Intravascular ultrasound
• Nuclear perfusion imaging
• PET imaging

Our physicians are at the forefront when it comes to the latest treatment and therapies for coronary artery disease. Some of the advanced treatments and procedures offered within the Complex Coronary Intervention Program include:

• High-risk coronary artery interventions
• Chronic total occlusion percutaneous coronary intervention (CTO PCI)
• Off-pump (beating heart) bypass procedures, in addition to traditional bypass surgery
• Percutaneous coronary intervention
• Minimally invasive techniques and medications to control symptoms
• Coronary artery disease prevention
• Specialized care for women's heart conditions 

Managing Complex Conditions

Patients with the following conditions in addition to coronary artery disease may particularly benefit:

• Diabetes
• Metabolic syndrome
• Renal insufficiency (kidney failure)
• Lung disease

To manage these patients, diabetologists and other specialists are available to join our decision-making team, as appropriate.

Coordinated, Patient-Centered Care

Each patient is assigned one physician to oversee his or her care while at the Corrigan Minehan Heart Center. Care is coordinated so it is as convenient as possible for patients - office consults and any additional testing indicated are scheduled on the same day if possible.

For those who need to be hospitalized, there are five cardiac units especially geared to the level of patient care needed. The Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory and the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit are on the same floor in adjacent buildings, for example, so patients can be admitted and moved seamlessly from one place to another.

From the operating room, patients go to the Cardiac Surgical Intensive Care Unit and, when ready, to the Cardiac Surgical Step-down Unit. Each unit is staffed with specially trained nurses who have the clinical expertise as well as the compassion to support patients.

At the Complex Coronary Intervention Program at the Massachusetts General Hospital Corrigan Minehan Heart Center, patients benefit from a collective recommendation made by a team of three cardiac specialists. This multidisciplinary team includes a clinical cardiologist, an interventional cardiologist and a cardiac surgeon. This approach affords each patient the benefit of a balanced, comprehensive assessment of his or her clinical problem.

State-of-the-Art Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory

Specialists within our state-of-the-art Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory provide advanced treatments for coronary artery disease. Procedures performed in the cardiac catheterization laboratory include:

• Intravascular ultrasound
• Balloon angioplasty
• Stenting
• Rotational and directional atherectomy
• Clot removal and distal protection devices
• Chronic total occlusion percutaneous coronary intervention (CTO PCI)

Our leading interventional cardiologists also perform "unprotected" left main coronary artery and other high-risk percutaneous coronary interventions that use intra-aortic balloon or percutaneous left ventricular support devices.

Experienced in Beating Heart Surgery

Physicians at the Complex Coronary Intervention Program are experienced in using beating heart surgery to treat patients who are at high risk for coronary artery bypass surgeries (CABG) using conventional cardiopulmonary bypass.

Our surgeons stabilize a portion of the heart with special instruments while permitting normal blood flow through the heart. This procedure is known as beating heart surgery, or off-pump coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Beating heart surgery is often desirable because it prevents the use of clamping on the body's main blood vessels. Some patients who undergo beating heart surgery experience shorter surgeries, remove their breathing tubes sooner after surgery and experience shorter intensive care unit stays than traditional patients.