What happens when heart patients run out of treatment options? And could new technology change how doctors treat chest pain and high blood pressure?

On this episode of **Blue Collar ICs**, hosts Dr. Brian Brown and Dr. Bill Dixon welcome Gainesville interventional cardiologist **Dr. Matheen Khuddus** for a candid conversation about the future of heart care, cutting-edge procedures, and the technology changing the cath lab.From the coronary sinus reducer for patients with persistent chest pain to renal denervation for difficult-to-control high blood pressure, the team explores promising treatments, real-world challenges, and what the latest clinical trials could mean for patients.

**In this episode:**- The coronary sinus reducer and new options for refractory angina- Renal denervation: ultrasound versus radiofrequency technology- Why insurance approval remains a challenge for innovative treatments- How OCT imaging and AI are changing heart procedures- Why private-practice cardiologists are leading major clinical trials- The story behind the Florida Advanced Cardiovascular Symposium (FACS)- Why learning from real cases makes better physiciansExpect real-world experiences, strong opinions, and plenty of Blue Collar ICs humor.

**Sponsored by Johnson & Johnson MedTech**, including Circulatory Restoration (formerly Shockwave Medical) and Heart Recovery (formerly Abiomed).This episode is intended for education and discussion, not individualized medical advice.

Treatments discussed may be investigational or appropriate only for selected patients.Subscribe to Blue Collar ICs for more conversations with the physicians pushing interventional cardiology forward.Follow the show on YouTube, Spotify, and LinkedIn, and share this episode with someone interested in the future of cardiovascular care.#BlueCollarICs #HeartHealth #Cardiology #InterventionalCardiology #RenalDenervation #HeartDisease #MedicalInnovation #ClinicalTrials #CoronarySinusReducer #hypertension

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PET CT could change which patients end up in the cath lab—and which ones don’t.

This episode gets into the heart tests, stents, and real-world decisions cardiologists debate every day.

The Blue Collar ICs crew sits down with interventional cardiologist Steve to break down stress PET CT versus traditional nuclear stress testing, coronary flow reserve, microvascular disease, calcium scores, coronary CTA, and the limits of testing anatomy without physiology. They also debate when a severe coronary blockage should actually be stented, where drug-coated balloons fit into PCI, and whether CT-guided PCI planning is genuinely useful or just another trend.

The conversation also goes beyond the cath lab into private practice, hospital employment, cardiology economics, EP demand, and why experience doing cases every day matters.

Topics include PET CT, stress testing, myocardial ischemia, coronary artery disease, coronary flow reserve, microvascular disease, calcium scoring, coronary CTA, PCI, stents, drug-coated balloons, interventional cardiology, private practice, and the cath lab.

Subscribe to Blue Collar ICs for straight talk from cardiologists working on the front lines—and share this episode with someone who lives in the cath lab.

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A massive clot crossing into the left atrium. A career rebuilt at 35. And the daily reality of working inside a busy cath lab.

This episode of Blue Collar ICs features James “JP” Pierce, Cath Lab Director at Lane Regional Medical Center in Zachary, Louisiana. JP shares how he went from industrial work to radiology and ultimately found his calling in the cath lab, where he’s spent 17 years taking on just about every role imaginable.

The crew also gets into the cases that make interventional cardiology unpredictable: a complex saddle pulmonary embolism with thrombus crossing into the left atrium, a severely thrombosed peripheral graft, left bundle branch pacing, drug-coated balloons, protected PCI, and the decisions operators have to make when there’s no perfect answer.

Plus, JP shares his firsthand experience seeing AeroShield in action and discusses why radiation protection, workflow, staff safety, and career longevity are becoming bigger conversations inside the cath lab.

Topics include interventional cardiology, cath lab careers, complex PCI, pulmonary embolism, thrombectomy, peripheral vascular intervention, radiation exposure, radiation protection, patient safety, medical devices, and real-world cath lab workflow.

Subscribe to Blue Collar ICs, follow the show on social media, and share this episode with someone who lives the cath lab life.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.