Cardiac catheterization Health Article

Definition

Cardiac catheterization involves passing a a thin flexible tube (catheter) into the right or left side of the heart, usually from the groin or the arm.

Alternative Names

Catheterization - cardiac; Heart catheterization

How the test is performed

You will be given a mild sedative before the test to help you relax. An intravenous (IV) line is inserted into one of the blood vessels in your arm, neck, or groin after the site has been cleansed and numbed with a local numbing medicine (anesthetic).

A catheter is then inserted through the IV and into your blood vessel. The catheter is carefully threaded into the heart using an x-ray machine that produces real-time pictures (fluoroscopy). Once the catheter is in place, your doctor may:

• Collect blood samples from the heart
• Measure pressure and blood flow in the heart's chambers and in the large arteries around the heart
• Measure the oxygen in different parts of your heart
• Examine the arteries of the heart with an x-ray technique called fluoroscopy (which gives immediate, "real-time" pictures of the x-ray images on a screen and provides a permanent record of the procedure)
• Perform a biopsy on the heart muscle

How to prepare for the test

If possible, you will be asked not to eat or drink for 6 - 8 hours before the test. The test takes place in a hospital and you will be asked to wear a hospital gown. Sometimes, you will need to spend the night before the test in the hospital. Otherwise, you will be admitted as an outpatient or an inpatient the morning of the procedure.

Your health care provider should explain the procedure and its risks. A witnessed, signed consent for the procedure is required.

Tell your doctor if you:

• Are allergic to seafood
• Have had a bad reaction to contrast material or iodine in the past
• Are taking Viagra
• Might be pregnant