If your doctor recommends a peripheral angiogram or a procedure to open a leg artery, you may be able to have it done in an outpatient cath lab rather than a hospital. FCCI opened Jacksonville's first freestanding outpatient cardiac and peripheral vascular cath lab in 2007, and a second in Palatka in 2016. Here is what the day looks like.
What a catheterization is
A thin, flexible tube is placed into an artery in the groin or wrist. Using special X-ray, your doctor guides it to the blocked area to see the arteries and, if needed, treat them. Most procedures need only a tiny incision.
Procedures for leg arteries
FCCI's cath lab offers several options for PAD.
- Peripheral angiography to see the leg and arm arteries
- Peripheral revascularization with atherectomy devices, balloons and/or stents
- Shockwave lithotripsy for calcified leg artery blockages
- Venous filter placement for some clot risks
Before your procedure
FCCI's instructions: if your procedure starts before noon, do not eat or drink after midnight. If it starts in the afternoon, a light breakfast is allowed. It is okay to take daily medicines with sips of water, except for patients with diabetes, who should follow the special instructions they are given. Arrange a ride home.
The day of
Start times are estimates, because some cases take longer depending on how complex they are. Procedures last between 1 and 3 hours. Afterward, you recover in a private room for 1 to 5 hours, depending on what was done.
Why outpatient
FCCI says offering these procedures outside the hospital reduces out-of-pocket costs and gives patients a more comfortable, convenient setting. Both FCCI labs are accredited by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care.
A record of firsts in leg artery care
FCCI's record started early: pedal access for chronic limb ischemia in 2008, a Northeast Florida first, and drug-eluting leg stents in 2013, one of the first in Florida along with the University of Florida in Gainesville. Dr. Vaqar Ali was first in Florida and second nationwide to do the Pantheris procedure (2016), and Dr. Yazan Khatib introduced Shockwave Medical's IntraVascular Lithotripsy to Northeast Florida (2018).
Why patients choose FCCI
FCCI has cared for patients since 2002 in Duval, Clay, St. Johns, Putnam and Ware counties. The Jacksonville lab opened in 2007 and Palatka's in 2016, both accredited by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care. Medicare, Tricare, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Aetna, Cigna, United Healthcare, Humana (some exceptions apply) and many other plans are accepted, and staff can verify yours.
Questions before your procedure
Write down your questions about the day itself, like who will drive you home and which medicines to pause, and bring them to the pre-procedure visit. If you have diabetes or a contrast allergy, say so early.
Call 904.493.3333, or 904.644.0092 for Orange Park and 386.325.2836 for Palatka, or visit the booking page. Your own care team's instructions always come first over anything you read here. Bleeding or swelling at the puncture site that will not stop is a 911 situation.
