Cardiac catheterization and coronary angiogram

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Cardiac catheterization and coronary angiogram

Cardiac catheterization is a test to check your heart and coronary arteries. It is used to check blood flow in the coronary arteries, blood flow and blood pressure in the chambers of the heart, find out how well the heart valves work, and check for problems in how the wall of the heart moves.

One purpose of cardiac catheterization is to find out if you have disease in your coronary arteries, and if so, find the size and location of fat and calcium deposits (plaque) that may have built up in your coronary arteries from coronary artery disease (atherosclerosis). This is generally done to see if you may need heart bypass surgery or angioplasty to open the coronary arteries.

During a cardiac catheterization, a soft, thin tube (catheter) is put in a blood vessel in the arm or groin and gently moved into the heart. An X-ray on a computer screen shows the catheter moving through the blood vessels and into the chambers of the heart. The tube can be moved into the small blood vessels on the surface of the heart to check for narrowing or blockage.

Credits

Author	Jeannette Curtis
Author	Caroline Rea, RN, BS, MS
Editor	Kathleen M. Ariss, MS
Editor	Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA
Associate Editor	Tracy Landauer
Associate Editor	Pat Truman
Primary Medical Reviewer	Patrice Burgess, MD - Family Medicine
Primary Medical Reviewer	Adam Husney, MD - Family Medicine
Primary Medical Reviewer	Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine
Last Updated	May 25, 2007

Last updated:	May 25, 2007
Author:	Caroline Rea, RN, BS, MS
Reviewed By:	Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine
Editors:	Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA, Pat Truman

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