At Missouri Baptist Medical Center (MoBap), we know your heart can’t wait. That’s why our cardiac cath lab is available 24/7. You’ll find expertise you can trust to assess your heart health and recommend appropriate care.
The Heart Center at Missouri Baptist Medical Center has a team of the top cardiologists in St. Louis and offers a comprehensive cardiac program, treating a range of heart conditions. Our heart team will carefully assess your health and risks before recommending a procedure tailored to your individual needs. You’ll have access to every heart specialist you need to receive the appropriate treatment and care.
Our heart team answers all of your questions, translates medical terminology into language you can understand and supports you in choosing the most appropriate care for you.
Cardiac catheterization is a nonsurgical procedure. It enables our cardiologists (doctors specializing in the heart) to view inside your heart to diagnose and treat heart problems. The procedure, which isn’t uncomfortable, provides important information.
For most people, a heart cath procedure is very safe. That’s one reason why we often use it in emergencies to rapidly determine what procedure will be right for you. Your heart team will carefully monitor and assess your health and recommend any special care you need before, during or after catheterization.
Our doctors often use cardiac catheterization to understand more about problems with your heart or circulatory system. We may use diagnostic heart catheterization to:
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:
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:
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:
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.
To schedule an appointment, call (314) 860-4888 or fill out the form below and we will call you back to learn more about your condition and discuss next steps.
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