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DIAGNOSTIC CATHETERIZATION
Coronary artery disease is blockage of the vessels that supply the heart with blood. While a 50% blockage will cause less blood to be delivered to the heart at times of physical activity, a 90% blockage affects the heart at rest, and a 100% block generally causes a heart attack.
There are a number of ways to treat this blockage – but they all begin with a careful diagnosis. Cardiac catheterization provides the most precise diagnosis currently available.
With the patient under local anesthesia, a small hollow-tube, or catheter, is inserted into the artery through an area in the groin or arm. Dye is injected through the catheter into the coronary vessels, and the pictures are recorded on videotape, film, or captured as digital computer images.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Many catheterizations are scheduled as an "outpatient procedure."
The actual catheterization procedure takes about 15-30 minutes. As the patient rests on a long slender bed, the area where the catheter will be inserted is scrubbed. Electrocardiographic leads along with a blood pressure cuff are used so that the heart rhythm can be monitored.
Most physicians give some sedation, but the amount varies. Some patients choose to be awake and aware during the procedure while others prefer to be more relaxed.
INTERVENTIVE CATHETERIZATION
If the diagnostic catheterization reveals enough blockage, the physicians of The Kansas Heart Hospital have many different ways to correct the problem – some using the same catheterization process as a way to provide treatment.
