A cardiac catheterization is a minimally invasive test
that offers clear, accurate information about the heart, the coronary
arteries located on the surface of the heart and (depending on whether
another test is done) the aorta. The development of cardiac catheterization
was very important in the field of heart medicine. Before the 1980's,
physicians had much less information before doing surgery. Cardiac
catheterization now offers an excellent strategy for obtaining critical
information before surgery or making a diagnosis.
During cardiac catheterization, a thin tube called a catheter
is fed through a blood vessel to a part of the body that needs to
be assessed. The catheter is inserted through a very small cut made
by the physician (in the groin, arm or wrist), then guided up through
the blood vessel to the heart. The physician tracks the course of
the catheter by watching it on a fluoroscope, which displays the
blood vessels on a viewing screen. A variety of measurements are
performed when the catheter is in place, and then the catheter is
removed. After some recovery time, most patients are free to go
home after about six hours. The procedure is done under local anesthesia
along with sedating medications such as Valium. The patient is very
comfortable and as awake as he or she desires - sometimes you can
even see the procedure on the monitor. Results should be available
within a matter of hours.
