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Division of Vascular and Interventional Radiology

Francisco Donato, portrait

Francisco Donato, MD

Interim Director


Interventional radiologists diagnose and treat patients using minimally invasive technologies and techniques—catheters, guide wires, needles, balloons, stents, and other devices with radiological imaging. These procedures, which may be categorized as endo-vascular (angiography), non-vascular (e.g., decompression and drainage of obstructed kidneys and bile ducts), and interventional oncology are performed in an interventional radiology suite, often on an outpatient basis. Many procedures that were previously performed surgically are now accomplished by an interventional radiologist with less morbidity and a shorter hospital stay. These procedures include:

  • Interventional oncological procedures, including chemoembolization, RFA, SIRT, and blend embolization of carcinoids
  • Embolotherapy for bleeding disorders and vascular malformation
  • Uterine fibroid embolization
  • Advanced management of patients with Cirrhosis of liver, including TIPS, BRTO etc.
  • Palliative procedures for Cancer patients
  • Spine and bone Interventions
  • Lung interventions including Pulmonary embolism management, lung cancer therapies etc.
  • Balloon angioplasty and stenting
  • Central venous access
  • Percutaneous feeding tube, drainage tube placement
  • Thrombolysis for acutely clotted vasculature
  • Treatment of varicose veins

Patients undergoing procedures are worked up by the interventional radiology service with clinical followed post-procedure.

FOR PATIENTS: This video demonstrates how to flush your drainage tube when connected to a drainage bag. The final part of the video demonstrates how to connect/change out a drainage bag for use.


SCHEDULING

Some procedures require IR staff physician review prior to scheduling. For emergent cases, such as GI or trauma bleeding, contact pager# 5390. For urgent or routine cases, contact the Interventional Radiology Nurse Coordinator pager# 4644 weekdays (8 a.m. to 4 p.m.); evenings, holidays or weekends contact pager# 5390. If this is a routine, non-urgent case our preference would be to have you contact the Interventional Radiology Nurse Coordinator during the weekday hours.

For referring physicians outside the hospital, please call the VIR nurse at 319-353-8141, M-F, from 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. On evenings and weekends, call the main hospital number at 319-356-1616 and ask them to page #5390.