Cardiac Catheterisation

Also called coronary angiography (angiogram), this is a test to look at the coronary arteries and heart muscle. It is the gold standard by which all other tests looking at the blood supply to the heart are judged. Developed and refined over many decades, cardiac catheterisation involves passing a fine, flexible hollow tube from an artery in the groin, elbow crease or wrist up to the heart. It only requires a local anaesthetic to numb the skin overlying the artery at the point of insertion. The tube is passed up to the heart where a dye is injected to show up the coronary arteries and the heart muscle. Pictures (angiograms) are taken using X-ray equipment which enables your cardiologist to determine whether or not the coronary arteries are furred up and to what extent. This knowledge is important for planning the best treatment for patients with coronary artery disease (atherosclerosis), which ranges from regular medication to angioplasty +/- stent insertion to coronary artery bypass surgery.

The procedure only takes 10 to 20 minutes in most cases. However, because we are dealing with the heart, patients are kept in hospital for a few hours after the procedure before being allowed home. Patients are told not to eat or drink for 4 hours before the procedure. You should take your usual medication with a sip of water, but generally speaking you will be advised to omit water tablets (diuretics) on that day. Diabetics are given special advice, particularly those taking metformin or insulin as are patients on warfarin.