Use of Dye

• Dye may be inserted through the catheter and pictures taken to document how the dye moves through the heart. This helps diagnose blocked blood vessels and damaged heart valves.
  
  

Why Is It Done?

• Cardiac catheterization is an important diagnostic tool used to measure blood pressures in the heart and the level of oxygen in the blood, evaluate the function of cardiac muscle and to diagnose blocked arteries.
  
  

How Is It Done?

• A cardiac specialist will perform this test. The patient will be awake and placed on his back. When the examination is completed, the catheter will be removed and pressure will be placed on the insertion site for several hours.
  
  

Repair Techniques

• Cardiac catheterization may be done to repair a stuck, or stenotic, heart valve, or fix certain heart defects. When used in concert with a balloon catheter, this procedure is useful for opening blocked blood vessels in the heart.
  
  

Risks

• Cardiac catheterization is a relatively safe procedure when performed by a skilled team of cardiac specialists. There is a slight risk of heart attack or stroke and a possibility or injury to the blood vessel at the site of insertion.