Cardiac Catheterization

A cardiac catheterization is a procedure that helps the doctor determine if there are blockages in the blood supply that leads to the heart. A long, thin, flexible tube called a catheter is put into a blood vessel usually in your groin (upper thigh), or your arm. The catheter is guided to the heart where a small amount of dye is inserted to show the blood flow through the arteries of the heart. During the procedure, you are awake but are given medicine to help you relax. You may feel a warm, flushed feeling when the dye is injected. Once the dye reaches your heart, it will make the inside of your heart’s arteries show up on an x ray called an angiogram. Another name for this test is coronary angiography.

(Image used with permission from Medtronic)