What Is Cardiac Catheterization?
Cardiac catheterization (KATH-e-ter-i-ZA-shun) is a
medical procedure used to diagnose and treat certain heart conditions. A long,
thin, flexible tube called a catheter is put into a blood vessel in your arm,
groin (upper thigh), or neck and threaded to your heart. Through the catheter,
doctors can perform diagnostic tests and treatments on your heart.
Sometimes a special dye is put into the catheter to
make the insides of your heart and blood vessels show up on x rays. The dye can
show whether a material called plaque (plak) has narrowed or blocked any of
your hearts arteries (called coronary arteries).
Plaque is made up of fat, cholesterol, calcium, and
other substances found in your blood. The buildup of plaque narrows the inside
of the arteries and, in time, may restrict blood flow to your heart. When this
happens, its called
coronary
artery disease (CAD).
Blockages in the arteries also can be seen using
ultrasound during cardiac catheterization. Ultrasound uses sound waves to
create detailed pictures of the hearts blood vessels.
Doctors may take samples of blood and heart muscle
during cardiac catheterization, as well as do minor heart surgery.
Cardiologists (doctors who specialize in treating
people who have heart problems) usually perform cardiac catheterization in a
hospital. Youre awake during the procedure, and it causes little to no
pain, although you may feel some soreness in the blood vessel where your doctor
put the catheter. Cardiac catheterization rarely causes serious
complications.
April 2007
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