Using Cardiac Catheterization to Diagnose Heart Disease
Your doctor or nurse will give you specific instructions about what you can and cannot eat or drink before the procedure.
Tell your doctor all of the medications you are currently taking, including herbal products and dietary supplements.
Ask your doctor what drugs should be taken on the day of your cardiac cath. You may be told to stop taking certain medications, such as Coumadin (a blood thinner), for a few days before the procedure.
If you have diabetes, ask your doctor how to adjust your diabetes drugs the day of your test.
Tell your doctor and/or nurses if you are allergic to anything, especially iodine, shellfish, X-ray dye, latex, or rubber products (such as rubber gloves or balloons) or penicillin-type medications.
You may or may not return home the day of your procedure. Bring items with you (such as a robe, slippers, and toothbrush) to make your stay more comfortable. When you are able to return home, arrange for someone to bring you home.
A cardiac cath procedure usually takes about 30 minutes (and longer if you undergo an intervention), but the preparation and recovery time add several hours. Plan on being at the hospital all day for the procedure.
You will be given a hospital gown to wear. A nurse will start an intravenous (IV) line in your arm so that medications and fluids can be administered through your vein during the procedure.
The cardiac cath room looks similar to an operating room. You will lie on a special table. If you look above, you will see a large camera and several TV monitors. You can watch the pictures of your cardiac cath on the monitors.
The nurse will clean your skin (and possibly shave) the site where the catheter will be inserted (arm or groin). Sterile drapes are used to cover the site and help prevent infection. It is important that you keep your arms and hands down at your sides and not disturb the drapes.
In this article
- Why Do I Need a Cardiac Cath?
- What Are the Risks Associated With Cardiac Cath?
- How Should I Prepare for a Cardiac Cath?
- How Long Does a Cardiac Cath Last?
- What Happens During a Cardiac Cath?
- What Happens After the Cardiac Cath?
How Should I Prepare for a Cardiac Cath? continued...
Your doctor or nurse will give you specific instructions about what you can and cannot eat or drink before the procedure.
Tell your doctor all of the medications you are currently taking, including herbal products and dietary supplements.
Ask your doctor what drugs should be taken on the day of your cardiac cath. You may be told to stop taking certain medications, such as Coumadin (a blood thinner), for a few days before the procedure.
If you have diabetes, ask your doctor how to adjust your diabetes drugs the day of your test.
Tell your doctor and/or nurses if you are allergic to anything, especially iodine, shellfish, X-ray dye, latex, or rubber products (such as rubber gloves or balloons) or penicillin-type medications.
You may or may not return home the day of your procedure. Bring items with you (such as a robe, slippers, and toothbrush) to make your stay more comfortable. When you are able to return home, arrange for someone to bring you home.
How Long Does a Cardiac Cath Last?
A cardiac cath procedure usually takes about 30 minutes (and longer if you undergo an intervention), but the preparation and recovery time add several hours. Plan on being at the hospital all day for the procedure.
What Happens During a Cardiac Cath?
You will be given a hospital gown to wear. A nurse will start an intravenous (IV) line in your arm so that medications and fluids can be administered through your vein during the procedure.
The cardiac cath room looks similar to an operating room. You will lie on a special table. If you look above, you will see a large camera and several TV monitors. You can watch the pictures of your cardiac cath on the monitors.
The nurse will clean your skin (and possibly shave) the site where the catheter will be inserted (arm or groin). Sterile drapes are used to cover the site and help prevent infection. It is important that you keep your arms and hands down at your sides and not disturb the drapes.