New York Methodist Hospital recently recruited Atul Chokshi, M.D., F.A.C.C., F.C.C.P., F.S.C.A.I., an expert in transradial cardiac catheterization, to perform a range of cardiac catheterization procedures to diagnose and treat heart disease. Cardiac catheterization is traditionally conducted through the femoral artery in the right groin. An alternate option and one that is specifically indicated when there is an abnormality involving the femoral artery is a transradial cardiac catheterization. The procedure is done through the radial artery in the wrist. This procedure is safer and preferable for patients with severe obesity, arthritis, and peripheral vascular disease.

"I look forward to bringing this new cardiac catheterization technique to New York Methodist and also hope to teach transradial cardiac catheterization to fellows and resident physicians at the Hospital," said Dr. Chokshi.

If a patient is at risk for heart disease, a transradial cardiac catheterization (angiogram) can shed light on a potentially dire situation. During cardiac catheterization, doctors insert a catheter-which is a long narrow tube--into the heart and coronary arteries. An imaging system helps direct the catheter to the heart and contrast dye is injected through the catheter, enabling doctors to see x-ray images of the valves, coronary arteries, and heart chambers. This procedure helps doctors detect heart disease, assess heart muscle functioning, and determine the most effective treatment for the patient.

Dr. Chokshi's medical experience entails working as a director of the cardiac catheterization laboratory at Interfaith Medical Center in Brooklyn. He is also chairman, CEO, and founder of the Krishna Heart Institute, a medical institution devoted to serving the disadvantaged, in Ahmedabad, India. Dr. Chokshi has earned numerous awards, including the Pfizer postgraduate award in medicine with distinction.

For more information about cardiac care at New York Methodist Hospital or to schedule an appointment, call the Hospital's Institute for Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery at 1 866-84-HEART.

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