Overview of Procedure

Cardiac Catheterization sometimes called Heart Catheterization is a procedure performed to examine the blood flow to the heart and test how well the heart is pumping.

Heart Catheterization is a small incision is made in the arm, wrist or leg.  A catheter is then inserted into an artery or vein in threaded up to the heart chambers or the coronary artery.

Sometimes a special dye is injected into the catheter that shows the plaque (fat, cholesterol, calcium deposits) build-up in the arteries.

The aim of this procedure is to measure oxygen in the blood and blood pressure. It also is used to test for coronary artery disease and to test the heart muscle’s ability to pump.

 

Cardiac catheterization can also be done on children to examine congenital defects of the heart.