Cardiac Cathetrization

CARDIAC CATHETERIZATION
Cardiac catheterization is an invasive diagnostic procedure in which radiopaque arterial and venous catheters are introduced into selected blood vessels of the right and left sides of the heart.
Catheter advancement is guided by fluoroscopy. Most commonly, the catheters are inserted percutaneously through the blood vessels, or via a cutdown procedure if the patient has poor vascular access. Pressures and oxygen saturations in the four heart chambers are measured. Cardiac catheterization is used to diagnose CAD, assess coronary artery patency, and determine the extent of atherosclerosis based on the percentage of coronary artery obstruction. These results determine whether revascularization procedures including PTCA or coronary artery bypass surgery may be of benefit to the patient . During cardiac catheterization, the patient has an intravenous line in place for the administration of sedatives, fluids, heparin, and other medications. Noninvasive hemodynamic monitoring that includes BP and multiple ECG tracings is necessary to continuously observe for dysrhythmias or hemodynamic instability. The myocardium can become ischemic and trigger dysrhythmias as catheters are positioned in the coronary arteries or during injection of contrast agents. Resuscitation equipment must be readily available during the procedure. Staff must be prepared to provide advanced cardiac life support measures as necessary. Radiopaque contrast agents are used to visualize the coronary arteries; some contrast agents contain iodine