How the Test is Performed

You are given a mild sedative prior to the test. An intravenous line is started in your arm to allow for the administration of medication during the procedure. A radiologist or cardiologist inserts the catheter through a small incision in an artery or vein in your arm, neck, or groin after cleansing the site and numbing the site with a local anesthetic.

The catheter is then carefully threaded into your heart using X-ray images called fluoroscopy to guide the insertion. When the catheter is in place, dye is injected to visualize the structures and vessels within the heart.

How to Prepare for the Test

Food and fluid is restricted for 6 to 8 hours before the test. Sometimes, admission the night before the test is required. Otherwise, admission will be as an outpatient the morning of the procedure. A health care provider is required to explain the procedure and its risks. A witnessed, signed consent for the procedure is required. A mild sedative is usually given 1/2 hour before the procedure. You will wear hospital clothing.

Infants and children:
The physical and psychological preparation you can provide for this or any test or procedure depends on your child's age, interests, previous experience, and level of trust. For specific information regarding how you can prepare your child, see the following topics as they correspond to your child's age:

• infant test or procedure preparation (birth to 1 year)
• toddler test or procedure preparation (1 to 3 years)
• preschooler test or procedure preparation (3 to 6 years)
• schoolage test or procedure preparation (6 to 12 years)
• adolescent test or procedure preparation (12 to 18 years)

How the Test will Feel

The procedure takes place in a radiology department, special procedures room, or cardiac diagnostics laboratory within a hospital. Sedation is given to relax you prior to the procedure, but you are awake and able to follow instructions during the test.

You will remain on a stretcher for the duration of the test. An incision is made into your vein or artery for threading the catheter into your heart. Local anesthesia is given to insert the catheter, so the only sensation is one of pressure at the site. Discomfort may arise from having to remain still for prolonged periods of time. The procedure may last from less than 1 to several hours.

Why the Test is Performed

The procedure is performed to evaluate cardiac valvular disease, heart function and blood supply, congenital heart abnormalities, and to determine the need for cardiac surgery. Therapeutic catheterization may be used to repair certain types of heart defects, open a stenotic heart valve, and dilate obstructed arteries or grafts in the heart.

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