HealthAlliance of the Hudson Valley provides the following information to help you understand the cardiac catheterization procedure. This information will also provide information on what to expect during and after the cardiac catheterization procedure and offer tips to prepare for an upcoming cardiac catheterization.
The Catheterization Laboratory at HealthAlliance of the Hudson Valley
The Catheterization Laboratory at HealthAlliance of the Hudson Valley
is a large space, designated for catheterization procedures and
containing all of the related electronic equipment. Not all of the
cameras, monitors, or instruments will be necessary for a procedure, but
they are there, set up, and ready to use in case they are needed.
What is cardiac catheterization?
Cardiac catheterization is a procedure that uses injected contrast through catheters to visualize and diagnose blockages in the coronary arteries as well as measure the pressures in the different chambers of the heart.
A catheter is a small, flexible tube. Catheterization is the process of inserting that tube into a blood vessel and then gently and painlessly advancing it into the heart. The procedure makes it possible to determine the ability of the coronary arteries to deliver oxygenated blood to the heart muscle, and to examine the heart muscle function itself.
Heart catheterization is the only procedure available which allows a physician to accurately determine the presence, degree and location of coronary artery disease. Based on this test, a physician will prescribe the proper treatment.