Cardiac Catheterization

• Cardiac catheterization is an imaging procedure that’s used to evaluate the heart and its work, detecting the presence of cardiac conditions in addition to treating some of these conditions, if any exist.
• Heart cath can be performed through the neck, arm, or groin, and it’s done by making a small incision in the required place, then a small tube is inserted to make the catheter go through it inside the blood vessel. After that, a contrast material is injected to diffuse through the blood vessels and heart chambers in order to see them clearly by using an x-ray camera. In case a cardiac condition is discovered and we can treat it through the catheter, then it’s treated and the catheter will be removed after that.
• In cardiac catheterization, the patient is under local anesthesia and a sedative, if needed, and usually the procedure takes about 30 minutes. The patient can return home on the same day if they weren’t gone through another therapeutic procedure during the cardiac catheterization, because in that case, the patient must stay in the hospital for one or two days, depending on the case.

• The doctor performs a full examination for the patient.
• You must stop smoking before the procedure.
• The patient must stop taking blood thinners (anticoagulant medications), ibuprofen, and any other medications or herbs that the doctor mentions two weeks before the procedure.
• You mustn’t have anything 6-8 hours before the procedure.

In general, complications after cardiac catheterization are rare. Some possible complications include the following:

• Infections.
• Bleeding.
• Allergic reaction to the contrast material.
• Damage in the blood vessel, heart, or the area where the catheter is inserted.
• Blood clots.
• Irregular heart rhythms.
• Pneumothorax.
• Kidney damage.
• Low blood pressure.
• Heart attack.
• Fluid buildup around the heart.

• The arm or groin must stay straight for a few hours after the procedure.
• You can return to your daily normal activity 24 hours after the surgery.
• You mustn’t do any strenuous physical activity or heavy lifting for 2-5 days after the procedure.
• You must contact your doctor immediately if any problem or weird symptom occurs.