Strong Heart and Vascular Center

Cardiac Catheterization Labs

What is Cardiac Catheterization?

 

Cardiac catheterization is a diagnostic procedure used for evaluating certain problems with the heart and its blood supply. The procedure involves the placement of a long, thin tube (called a catheter) into the heart to measure pressures, inject dye, and take x-ray images.

Also called a coronary angiogram, cardiac catheterization allows your doctor to determine the presence and extent of coronary artery disease and/or valvular heart disease, and to determine if surgery is required.

Cardiac catheterization provides information about:

• Blood flow through the heart and coronary arteries (blood vessels that supply blood to the heart

  Richard Pomerantz, M.D. - Chief of Clinical Cardiology

  muscle) or other major blood vessels that carry blood to and from the heart
• Pressure within the heart chambers
• The detailed structure of various parts of the heart and vascular (blood vessel) system
• The heart's pumping ability

Types of Cardiac Catheterization Procedures

Your Medical Team

Catheterization requires a specially trained and highly experienced team made up of a cardiologist, registered nurses, radiology technicians, and patient care technicians. The procedure is done in the hospital's cardiac catheterization laboratory.

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