Cardiac Catheterisation/Coronary Angiography?

Question

I have to go and have the above can anybody tell me what it involve also if you have had one

Answer 1

I am assuming that you may be in the UK because of the speling of "catheterisation".I have worked for 8 years in a cath lab in the US. I believe it is very similar in both places.
You will lay on an x-ray table and will be connected to heart, blood pressure and oxygen monitors. You will be given a sedative to help you relax. The doctor will give you a local anesthetic in your groin, and will puncture the femoral artery with a needle and insert a sheath about 6 inches long, and a bit thicker than a piece of spagetti.
Through this sheath, the doctor will thread different catheters through the aorta to the coronary arteries that start just above the Aortic Valve. He will inject small amounts of radiopaque dye into these arteries as a camera rotates around your chest and takes several different views. As the dye circulates through your arteries, the doctor can visualize where blockages may be.
You will feel none of this. There are no nerve endings in the large vessels. The sedative and local anesthetic will take care of the minor discomfort at the groin site. It is no worse than having novacaine at the dentist's.
The procedure usually takes about twenty minutes to half an hour, depending on the number of pictures taken and your personal anatomy. If an angioplasty is then performed, it will take a bit longer.
At the end, the catheters and sheath are usually taken out immediately, and either pressure is held to the site, or a small collagen plug may be inserted to prevent bleeding from the puncture site. You will be on bedrest for a few hours following the procedure, then should be good to go.
Do't be afraid to ask questions, and to voice any concerns to your physician.
best of luck.

Answer 2

Okay, I will try to put this into plain terms.
A cardiac Cath.Coronary Angiogram involves:

Your cardiologist will make an incision (small) in more than
likely your groin area. He will then insert a small tube that
has several instruments inside it he can use depending on
what he finds once the procedure is started. He will thread
the tube into the artery. He will also inject a dye into your
artery to check for blood flow or lack there of. You may feel
a warm feeling in your chest when he does this. He is
looking for blocked arteries. In some cases he can place
a stent in a heart vessel if he finds a badly blocked artery.
You will be sedated for this but will not be asleep. You will
be able to talk to the doctor but may not remember it because
of the sedation given. You will then go from the cath lab to
your room where you will remain on your back with a medical
sandbag placed over the groin to allow the incision to clot and
not to bleed. They will probably tie the affected leg down to
keep you from moving it and causing a bleed. You will have
to remain in bed for usually around 6 hours. The wound will
be closed with the medical version of super glue. You will
be released home with instructions to rest until the next day.
No heavy lifting and no straining. These are the basics but
depending on the individual things could be different
depending on what they find. Hope this helps and good luck.

Answer 3

I read the other answers. It is not as bad as they make it sound. I have had four caths done. They have never tied my leg. The procedure is pretty much like the first answer but although I was sore, it was not painful(incision site) afterwards. There is a strange sensation when they inject the dye they use through the iv. After one of my caths I did have like a knot at the site of the small incision that gave me some concern and I had a huge black and blue area covering my groin, but I was okay. When I was told I needed my second cath a year later, I had no reservations about getting it done. The doc can get a good look at your heart with this test. I was much more concerned about what the doc would find than the test itself.

Answer 4

1.You will be taken to a catherisation laboratory under the effect of a mild sedative.
2.you will be made te lie down on an angio table equipped with rotating x-ray arms.The latter is connected with a monitoring screen and digital recording equipments.
3.you will be connected with various machines and sensors to monitor the various parameters of your condition eg pulse,BP,O2 saturation etc.
4.Under Local anaesthetic a tiny catheter (size of a strand of spaghetti) is inserted painlessly through the femoral artery by Seldinger technique.The catheter is introduced up to the origin of the aorta from the heart.This is where the two coronary arteries take their origins.
5.A radio opaque solution (usually an iodine compound) is injected in through the catheter and into each of the coronary arteries in turn.
6.Instant visualisation of the flow of the solution through the C arteries is made and recorded
7.any blockage is seen and calculated according to its situation,length and extent of the circumference of the artery involved.
8 afterwards the catheter is gently pushed into the left ventricle and the solution is injected .In this way we get the working efficiency of the heart muscles of the left ventricle. i.e. ejection fraction.
9.A pressure studies and record is done if any abnormalities of the respective cardiac valves are noted.
10. the catheter is removed and a pressure dressing is applied to the puncture site.
11. after a short overnight stay in the ICU and the ward you are sent back home with an appointment to return at the OPD to have the formal results and diagnosis with the plan of future action.
Best of Luck.

Answer 5

I have had the cardio cath. The docotr makes an inscision in your groin and inserts a camera on a piece of tubing and runs it up to the affected area of your heart. This allows them to see for themselves how your heart is working and wheather or not you need surgery. It will hurt like hell afterwards. Take it easy and follow your doctors instructions, you'll be fine.