Your doctor has recommended that you undergo a cardiac catheterization. But what does that actually mean?

The heart is located in the center of the chest. It’s job is to keep blood continually circulating throughout the body.

The blood vessels that carry oxygen-rich blood away from the heart are called arteries.
Medical Malpractice
The largest and most important of these is the aorta.

The vessels that bring blood back into the heart are called veins.

Sometimes, these blood vessels can grow narrower or become blocked in such a way that normal blood flow is restricted. In simple terms, a cardiac catheterization is a diagnostic procedure used when your doctor believes that blood is not flowing normally in and or around your heart.

Medical Malpractice
In simple terms, a cardiac catheterization is a diagnostic procedure used when your doctor believes that blood is not flowing normally in and or around your heart.

During a cardiac catheterization, a heart specialist will insert a thin tube into an artery in the arm or leg and gently guide it towards the problem area in the heart.
Medical Malpractice
Once the tube is in place, a special dye is injected and a series of x-rays are taken.

These x-rays allow your doctor to see exactly how blood is flowing in your heart.

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This entry was posted on Friday, January 2nd, 2009 at 11:57 am and is filed under Angiography, Education, Video. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.