Cardiac Catheterisation Laboratory

All interventional percutaneous procedures for congenital heart disease.

The Laboratory

At the Cardiac Catheterization Lab a specialized team performs all invasive diagnostic and therapeutic pediatric cardiology procedures in children with heart disease.

The Lab is equipped with the most advanced devices for cardiac catheterization, cineangiography and electrophysiology. For maximum safety and efficiency, it is located next to the ICU.

The Lab performs the entire range of interventional percutaneous procedures for congenital heart disease, including:

Balloon dilation of valvular and arterial stenosis.
Stent placement in constricted vessels for aortic isthmus or pulmonary artery stenosis.
Closure of secundum ASD, interatrial communications and ductus arteriosus using transvenous devices.
Percutaneous pulmonary valve replacement in patients who have undergone surgery for Tetralogy of Fallot.
Hybrid procedures at the specially designed Cardiac Catheterization Lab, where acute congenital heart defects are treated with a combination of transcatheter methods and surgical access.
Hybrid heart catheterizations combined with cardiac MRI, to reduce the ionizing radiation dose.

The Cardiac Catheterization Lab is a leader in Greece, conducting the most advanced percutaneous invasive techniques, such as:

Placement of ductus arteriosus stent, to avoid aortopulmonary bypass surgery.
Percutaneous recanalization of obstructed large vessels.
Percutaneous dilation of pulmonary atresia to avoid open heart surgery.
Exclusively MRI-guided cardiac catheterization.
More recent interventional techniques, such as the hybrid treatment of the hypoplastic left heart syndrome, performed only at MITERA Children’s Hospital in Greece.

Medical services for fetuses, neonates and infants with congenital heart disease

We offer specialised Clinics for fetal scanning with options of early intervention in the heart of the fetus in utero (where appropriate), such as in cases of resistant arrhythmias to medical therapy or aortic/pulmonary stenosis with small and dysfunctional ventricles.
Specialist Neonatologists look after the prenatally diagnosed newborn and a group of pediatric cadiologists take over his care immediately and start the appropriate treatment.
Specialised examinations are performed, such as cardiac MRI, CT with low radiation, cardiac catheterisation and treatment by either cardiac catheterisation or open heart surgery follows in the appropriate cases.
In our Neonatal and Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at MITERA Children’s Hospital, the frequency of neonatal infections is extremely small, with nearly zero mortality secondary to infections and absence of multidrug resistant organisms during the examined six year period (2011-2016).

In order to achieve the best possible results, MITERA Children’s Hospital has the last generation of relevant equipment, so that diagnostic and interventional procedures can be performed quickly and safely.

The successful clinical outcome of each case is attributed to multiple factors:

Early and thorough prenatal diagnosis that has a direct effect on the optimal outcome of the newborn after birth.
The most modern and documented imaging and its analysis before any trancatheter or surgical operation.
Adhesion to protocols and guidelines of the European Pediatric Cardiology Society and the American Heart Association.
Excellent collaboration and team work between all involved sub-specialities (Children’s Intensive Care Units, pediatric anesthetists and highly specialized nurses) as well as paediatric sub-specialties that create a safety net for each child.

The Pediatric Cardiology & Adult Congenital Heart Disease Departments are leading Units in Greece in the following fields:

Performance of cardiac MRIs in premature and low birth weight babies
Hybrid cardiac catheterisations under magnetic resonance guidance to avoid the use of ionizing radiation.

Specialist transcatheter interventional techniques, such as stent implantation, recanalization of occluded vessels and transcatheter implantation of heart valves to avoid open surgery.

Adult Congenital Heart Disease Department / Specialist Clinics for women with congenital heart disease

MITERA Hospital is a tertiary center for the treatment of adult patients with congenital heart disease. In addition, we also care for women with congenital heart disease who are planning pregnancy or go through pregnancy and delivery.

Adult patients with Congenital Heart Disease may need to be submitted to specialist investigations in order to plan further management and treatment. These may consist of a cardiac MRI in our open magnet, a cardiopulmonary exercise test, a 24 hour rhythm recording and electrophysiology studies.

For women with congenital heart disease, holistic treatment for their baby and themselves is provided, during and after birth, with the opportunity to give birth in a safe environment with specialised cardiac care.

We collaborate with Obstetricians – Gynecologists with experience in Congenital Heart Disease. The mother gives birth in our specialised center at MITERA Hospital under the care of Cardiologists specialised in congenital heart diseases, who provide the perinatal care and necessary modification of her treatment.
The newborn with Congenital Heart Disease is checked out during fetal life and immediately after birth to exclude even conditions that are not easy to diagnose prenatally.