Cardiac catheterization is a procedure that can be used to diagnose and treat heart disease and involves the introduction of a catheter, which is an extremely thin flexible tube in the artery of the individual’s arm or body, which will be led to cardiac catheterization is also known as coronary angiography.
It may be indicated in the diagnosis and treatment of infarction or angina, which examines the inside of the blood vessels and the heart, being able to detect and eliminate plaques or fat lesions accumulated in these areas.
Cardiac catheterization is used to diagnose and/or treat a variety of heart conditions, including:
Cardiac catheterization can be performed with other techniques such as coronary angioplasty, a technique used to uncover the coronary vessel, and can be performed with a stent implant (metal prosthesis) or only with the use of a balloon, which rises by pressing, pushing the plates to open the vase again. Learn more about the potential risks of angioplasty.
It can also be used with a percutaneous balloon valve, used as a treatment for diseases related to heart valves, pulmonary stenosis, aortic stenosis and mitral stenosis.
Cardiac catheterization is done by inserting a catheter or tube into your heart and the procedure is done as follows:
The exam does not cause any pain. The most that can happen is that the patient experiences some discomfort when setting the anesthesia and a feeling of warmth in the condition when the contrast product is injected.
The duration of the scan varies depending on the ease with which the catheterization of the vessel is performed, generally being longer in patients undergoing coronary revascularization surgery. Normally the test does not last more than 30 minutes, if necessary it will remain at rest for a few hours. In the event of no complications and no catheterization has been performed without another associated procedure, the patient may be discharged.
Generally, to have a scheduled catheterization it is necessary for the individual to be at rest and in the baths 4 hours before the test, it is also necessary to maintain the intake of medications indicated by the cardiologist, avoiding taking medicines that have not been prescribed, including home remedies.
Recovery from the procedure will be rapid, when there are no other complications that prevent the patient from leaving the hospital the next day, it is important to avoid vigorous exercise or lift weights of more than 10 kg within the first 2 weeks after the procedure. .
Although this procedure is very important and generally safe, this procedure has certain strains such as:
The risks are lower when the examinations are scheduled, in addition to this, they are usually found in hospitals referred to in the field of cardiology and with specialists and well equipped to perform this type of procedure.
These strains are also higher in diabetics, patients with kidney disease and people over the age of 75, or in more severe and acute patients with myocardial infarction.