Cardiac catheterization enables physicians to see the coronary arteries and heart valves, showing narrowed or blocked arteries, defective valves, or other problems.
Cardiac catheterization is generally performed to diagnose a heart condition and determine whether a patient needs treatment to open a blocked artery or re-route the blood flow around it.
What to Expect
During a cardiac catheterization, a thin, flexible tube (catheter) is inserted through a blood vessel in the arm or groin and guided to the heart. Dye (x-ray contrast) is injected through the catheter and x-ray pictures are taken of the coronary arteries to see whether they are narrowed or blocked and to find plaque.
Crozer-Keystone performs more than 1,300 of these procedures a year.
Treatment with Catheterization
In addition to diagnosing heart conditions, cardiac catheterization is also used to treat blocked arteries, and includes the following procedures:
Emergency Catheterization
In addition, cardiac catheterization can be used for cardiac emergencies, such as heart attacks. This requires cardiologists to perform Primary Angioplasty to quickly open narrowed or blocked arteries.