Cardiac Catheterization: Understanding Risks and Procedures

Cardiac catheterization is a surgical procedure to diagnose or treat heart problems. A tube (catheter) is inserted through an artery and threaded to the heart to inject dye, inflate a balloon or perform other actions.

Reason

• Cardiac catheterization can either treat an existing heart problem or find out what the problem is. It can also be a precursor to other heart procedures that involve a catheter.

Procedure

• You will be sedated but awake, as you might have to move your arms, hold your breath or do other things during the operation. A tube is inserted through an artery in your neck or groin and threaded to your heart. You should not feel the catheter moving through your body.

Related Actions

• Once the catheter reaches the heart, X-ray sensitive dye can be injected into the coronary blood vessels (angiogram), or a balloon can be inflated to widen a blocked artery (angioplasty). A stent may be installed to keep the artery open, or a biopsy may be taken.

Risks

• The most common risks are bruising and infection, usually near the insertion site. Other less-common risks include heart attack or stroke, arrhythmia, damage to the artery where the catheter was inserted, allergic reaction to the dye used, excessive bleeding or kidney damage.

Recovery

• You must stay immobilized for four to six hours so your insertion site does not bleed. After that, many people can go home after the procedure.