Take the first step in diagnosing your heart condition

An interventional cardiologist (a doctor specializing in catheter-based procedures) performs a heart cath procedure along with a team of other MoBap heart specialists.

You have the procedure in a catheterization laboratory (cath lab), which is like a small operating room. Images of your heart and blood vessels are projected on large screens in the room.

In most cases, you have local anesthesia so that you don’t feel any pain where your doctor inserts the catheter. You also have a sedative, so you are awake but comfortable during the procedure.

Heart catheterization doesn’t require an incision. During the procedure, our doctors:

1. Make a puncture, similar to a needle poke, to access an artery, usually in your femoral artery, a large artery in your groin.
2. Thread a catheter (a long, flexible tube) through the artery to your heart. Most often, we use the femoral artery, a large artery in your groin (where your thigh meets your pelvis). Sometimes we can use an artery in your arm or wrist.
3. Inject dye through the catheter into the coronary arteries in your heart
4. Take an X-ray image for an up-close look at your heart and blood vessels
5. Perform tests to identify blockages or other problems

Heart catheterization can be lifesaving. It provides access to blocked arteries that put you at risk of a heart attack and permanent heart damage.

In many cases, cardiac catheterization is the diagnostic tool to identify heart conditions. Often, the heart specialists at MoBap can also perform any necessary treatment during the same procedure. That means you can usually receive a diagnosis and treatment during a single visit.

Our doctors can perform diagnostic or therapeutic procedures during cardiac catheterization, including:

• Coronary angiography, injecting dye through the catheter to provide a clear view of blood vessels or the heart and detect blockages
• Valve repair and replacement to widen heart valves (valvuloplasty) or correct leaky heart valves

Before a cardiac cath procedure, our doctors may recommend diagnostic tests to check your heart’s function and help your heart team prepare for the procedure. Your cardiologist may order:

• Blood tests: A complete blood count (CBC) checks your blood health and looks for signs of infection. Other tests can assess your blood’s ability to clot and your kidney and liver function.
• Cardiac CT or cardiac MRI: Imaging tests show your heart’s structure and how well it functions. They can show any blocked or narrowed blood vessels or other problems.
• Chest X-ray: An X-ray shows your heart, lungs, other chest structures and major blood vessels.
• Echocardiography (echo): An echo test uses ultrasound (sound waves) to create a picture of your heart.
• Electrocardiogram (EKG): An EKG shows your heart’s electrical activity and rhythm. It tells your heart team more about a possible heart attack or other problems.
• Exercising on a treadmill safely raises your heart rate so the doctor can see how your heart responds.

After a cardiac catheterization, you recover for several hours.

You may go home the same day or stay a day or two in the hospital. The timing depends on the reason for the catheterization and if you had other procedures.

Your heart team will provide specific instructions for your recovery. For several days to a week, you will need to limit your activity and watch for bruising or bleeding. Take any medications exactly as your doctor directs, including aspirin or other medicine, to reduce the risk of blood clots.

An interventional cardiologist performs heart catheterization. You may also receive care from cardiologists and electrophysiologists (doctors specializing in the heart’s rhythm).

Meet our heart specialists.

To be connected with a heart care nurse navigator who can provide more information or help you make an appointment with a MoBap heart specialist, call 314-860-4888.