Cardiac Catheterisation

Overview

In cardiac catheterisation, a thin flexible tube (catheter) is guided through a blood vessel to the heart. Contrast dye is injected so the heart arteries show up on X-ray images, a test called coronary angiography. The procedure can also measure pressures inside the heart.

Why it is done

• To find narrowed or blocked heart arteries
• To investigate chest pain or abnormal stress test results
• To assess heart valves and heart muscle function
• To plan treatment such as angioplasty or bypass surgery

Before the procedure

You will usually be asked not to eat for a few hours. Your doctor may check your kidney function and adjust medicines such as blood thinners or diabetes tablets. Mention any allergy to contrast dye.

During the procedure

The test is done in a catheterisation laboratory (cath lab) under local anaesthetic, through an artery in the wrist or groin. You stay awake and may feel a warm sensation when the dye is injected. It usually takes less than an hour.

After the procedure

Pressure is applied to the puncture site to prevent bleeding, and you rest for a few hours. Most people go home the same day or the next day. If a narrowing is found, angioplasty may sometimes be performed during the same procedure.

Risks

Serious complications are uncommon. They include bleeding or bruising, reaction to the dye, irregular heartbeat, kidney problems and, rarely, damage to a blood vessel, heart attack or stroke.

At KIH

KIH's cardiology service provides catheter-based assessment of the right and left heart in its catheterisation laboratories.