heart-transplant

Interventional cardiology

Head of Unit

Caterina Gandolfo

IRCCS ISMETT’s Interventional Cardiology is one of Italy’s highest-volume units in terms of treatment of complex coronary artery disease, heart valve disease, and acute aortic syndromes. With over 1,800 TAVI procedures performed since the start of the program, IRCCS ISMETT ranks alongside leading Italian centers, as documented in the report issued by GISE, the Italian Society of Interventional Cardiology.

The Unit has a cardiac catheterization laboratory and a hybrid OR equipped with state-of-the-art angiography systems, making them among the most advanced facilities of their kind in Italy. The Unit works in close collaboration with the Cardiac Surgery Unit and provides 24/7 emergency care.

Conditions We Treat

The Unit provides diagnosis and treatment for:

  • Stable coronary artery disease and acute coronary syndromes (heart attack and unstable angina)
  • Aortic, mitral, and tricuspid valve stenosis and insufficiency
  • Adult congenital disease (patent foramen ovale and septal defects)
  • Acute aortic syndromes (type B aortic dissection and traumatic aortic rupture)
  • Atrial fibrillation and high risk of thromboembolism

Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI)

TAVI is the Unit’s flagship procedure. It involves implanting an aortic valve prosthesis through a percutaneous arterial access, without the need for open heart surgery or general anesthesia.

This procedure is particularly suitable for older patients or those with complex clinical conditions for whom conventional surgery is not recommended.

IRCCS ISMETT is one of Italy’s highest-volume TAVI centers. More than 1,800 procedures have been performed since the program began, including 239 in 2025 alone, the highest annual number ever recorded at the center. Outcomes are excellent in terms of procedural success and patient safety.

IRCCS ISMETT was also selected as one of only six centers in Italy and abroad to perform and broadcast two TAVI procedures live during the GISE/EAPCI National Congress, a major European interventional cardiology event attended by more than 1,000 participants and featuring an international faculty from Europe and North America.

IRCCS ISMETT also performs valve-in-valve procedures, enabling the percutaneous replacement of degenerated surgical bioprosthetic valves in the aortic, mitral, and tricuspid positions.

Treatments and Procedures

Coronary and structural interventional cardiology

  • Coronary balloon angioplasty, including drug-eluting balloon (DEB) angioplasty.
  • Coronary angioplasty with metal or drug-eluting stent placement (BMS, DES).
  • Coronary angioplasty with rotational atherectomy (Rotablator).
  • Percutaneous insertion of support devices, intra-aortic balloon pump/centrifugal pump.
  • Peripheral angioplasty of the iliofemoral and carotid arteries.
  • Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI).
  • Percutaneous mitral valve repair (MitraClip).
  • Aortic, pulmonary, and mitral valvuloplasty.
  • Percutaneous closure of patent foramen ovale (PFO).
  • Percutaneous closure of ostium secundum atrial septal defects (ASDs).
  • Percutaneous closure of ventricular septal defects (VSDs).
  • Percutaneous closure of paravalvular leaks.
  • Thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR).
  • Percutaneous left atrial appendage closure.

      • Invasive diagnostics

      • Right and left heart catheterization for pressure measurements, oximetry sampling, and contrast imaging.
      • Exercise cardiac catheterization.
      • Coronary angiography with intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) and fractional flow reserve (FFR) assessment to determine the ischemic significance of apparently nonsignificant coronary stenoses in patients with angina.
      • Angiography of the venous and pulmonary circulation using right heart catheterization; angiography of the major arteries, regional vascular beds, peripheral arteries, and supra-aortic vessels.
      • Myocardial biopsy.
      • Catheterization to assess pulmonary hypertension with pharmacology reversibility testing.

      Urgent and emergency care

      The Unit provides emergency and urgent examinations and procedures 24 hours a day for all conditions. In cases of acute myocardial infarction, the team acts rapidly to reopen the occluded artery using microaspiration catheters and filters. In cases of acute type B aortic dissection or traumatic aortic rupture, emergency thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) is available.

Staff

Learn more

TAVI: ISMETT first in Italy for number of procedures

TAVI, da ISMETT in live per il Congresso Nazionale di Cardiologia Interventistica

Sostituita in 50 minuti senza operare la "valvola dimenticata" del cuore: a Palermo il primo intervento nel Sud Italia

Palermo, all'Ismett intervento alla valvola tricuspide senza bisturi
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