Preparing for Your Cardiac Catheterization

If your doctor has ordered an elective cardiac catheterization, it means he or she suspects there may be reduced blood flow to your heart due to coronary artery disease. Our catheterization team at Lawrence General has performed thousands of procedures to look at those blood vessels and the blood flow to the heart. Our team has the skills to take good care of you and give your doctors the information they need to help you make the right choices about your care. We’ll be there to help you through every step.

Quality note: National best practice standards for cardiac catheterization recognize radial access catheterization (through the radial artery located in the wrist) to be the preferred approach, unless a patient’s circumstances require femoral access (through the femoral artery in the upper thigh). At Lawrence General Hospital, 85% of our catheterizations are done using radial access.

Prior to the Procedure

Your physician will order preparatory tests such as blood tests, urinalysis, a chest X-ray, and an EKG to ensure your comfort and safety during the procedure.

Day of the Procedure

Meals: Do not eat or drink on the morning of the procedure. If your procedure is scheduled for later in the day, check with your physician to see if you can eat a light breakfast.

Medications: It is important to review your medications with your cardiologist prior to the procedure. The doctor will tell you what medications you may or may not take on that day. Do not take medications such Coumadin (blood thinner) and Lasix (diuretic) and some diabetes medications.

Please arrive 60 to 90 minutes prior to your procedure and check in at the Admitting Department located on the first floor of Lawrence General Hospital just beyond the main entrance lobby. From there you will proceed to the Cardiovascular Care Recovery Unit located on the fourth floor where our cardiac nursing staff will help you get ready for your procedure. This process includes:

Verifying your medical history and all medications
Taking your blood pressure, pulse and temperature
Prepping the site your cardiologist will use for the procedure (usually either your arm or your groin)
Administering medication to help you relax
Taking additional blood for lab tests, if needed

While you are in the Cardiac Catheterization Lab, there is a comfortable area for your family to wait. You will be given medications during the exam to keep you relaxed, and though you will be awake, you will not feel any pain. If there is a blockage that can be fixed during your catheterization, the cardiologist will do that, providing diagnosis and treatment in one visit. After your cardiologist completes the procedure, he or she will review the results with you and your family (with your permission) and discuss next steps.

After the Procedure

The recovery time for this procedure varies, but is likely to be less than 24 hours. Lawrence General offers same day discharge for Catheterization patients who meet certain criteria. When you are ready to be discharged, you and your cardiologist will decide on a plan of care and/or follow-up based on your results.

Sunit Mukherjee

Cardiology - Interventional Cardiology

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Mustali Dohadwala

Cardiology

Mustali Dohadwala, MD

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Evan Marino

Cardiology

Marino Cardiology

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is cardiac catheterization?

Cardiac catheterization is a diagnostic test used to evaluate the heart and coronary arteries. A long, thin, flexible tube called a catheter is put into a blood vessel in your arm or groin and threaded to your heart. Through it, your doctor will inject a special contrast (dye), which traces the movement of blood through your arteries and can be visualized on an X-ray. The test is called coronary angiography. The dye can show whether plaque has narrowed or blocked any of your coronary arteries. Over time, plaque can restrict blood flow to your heart. When plaque builds up in the coronary arteries, the condition is called coronary heart disease (CHD) or coronary artery disease (CAD).

Are there any tests I need to have before the Cardiac Catheterization takes place?

Yes, there are. They include blood tests, urinalysis, a chest X-ray and an EKG. These tests are given to ensure optimal and safe conditions during your cardiac catheterization procedure.

Where does the procedure take place? Is it painful? Can I eat before the procedure? Can I continue taking the medications I'm on?

All good questions. Cardiologists (heart specialists) usually do cardiac catheterization in a hospital. You're awake during the procedure, and it causes little to no pain. However, you may feel some soreness in the blood vessel where the catheter was inserted. You will be instructed not to eat or drink on the morning of the procedure; unless your procedure is much later during the day; in which case, a light breakfast may be allowed. Your physician will tell you what medicines you may or may not take. It is generally acceptable to take blood pressure medications and heart medications with a small amount of water. However, blood thinners (such as Coumadin), diuretics (such as Lasix) and certain meds for diabetes are not allowed.

What if my Cardiac Catheterization is being done on an outpatient basis?

If you're scheduled as an outpatient, you will have received a phone call in advance in order to preregister for the procedure. On the day of your procedure, plan on arriving 1 – 1 1/2 hours prior to the procedure. Please arrange for someone to drive you to and from the hospital. We cannot allow patients to drive after the procedure. Report to the Admitting Department on the first floor of the hospital, just beyond the main entrance lobby. There, your information will be verified, and you'll sign some papers. You will then be directed to the Short Stay Unit, which is also located on the first floor, just steps away from the main elevator. The nursing staff will ready you for your procedure. They'll take your blood pressure, pulse and temperature and verify your medical history and medications. The site your doctor is preparing to use for the procedure will be washed and prepped. An intravenous needle will be placed in your arm. Additional blood work may be drawn. When it's time for your procedure, you may be given some medication to help you relax, and you will be sent to the Cardiac Cath Lab. Your family will accompany you to the 4th floor and be directed to a waiting area just outside it. After your procedure, and with your permission, the doctor will speak with your family.

What is the actual procedure like?

Lawrence General Hospital is equipped with a brand new state of the art catheterization suite with Siemens imaging and McKesson hemodynamic monitoring systems. Our staff has many years of cardiac catheterization lab, critical care and angioplasty experience. Our interventional physicians are on staff at Lawrence General as well as other Boston area hospitals, such as Lahey Clinic, St. Elizabeth's and Mass General, to name a few. Your own cardiologist will be performing your diagnostic procedure. He or she will determine which site (groin or arm) will be appropriate for your procedure. Once you are situated on the cath lab procedure table, you will be connected to monitoring equipment. Your groin area/arm will be prepped, and you will be covered with a sterile drape. The procedure itself doesn't take too long. Generally speaking, once we have access to the artery of choice, it takes only about 20-30 minutes to take the pictures.

After your doctor completes the diagnostic part of the catheterization, he or she will let you/your family know of the results. If it is determined that there is a need to perform an angioplasty or stenting, one of the interventional doctors will be notified. Lawrence General has strict guideline to follow regarding angioplasty procedures. If you meet all the criteria, we will go ahead and repair the blocked area in your heart. This procedure is known as a PCI (Percutaneous Coronary Angioplasty). Stenting will be done in order to keep the area from closing off.

Preparing for Your Cardiac Catheterization

Preparing for Your Cardiac Catheterization

Prior to the Procedure

Day of the Procedure

After the Procedure

When Minutes Matter

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Sunit Mukherjee

Mustali Dohadwala

Evan Marino

Frequently Asked Questions