Cardiac catheterization or coronary angiogram is an invasive imaging procedure that allows your doctor to “see” how well your heart is supplied by blood vessels. During the test, a long, narrow tube, called a catheter, is inserted into a blood vessel in your arm or leg and guided to your heart with the aid of a special X-ray machine. Contrast dye is injected through the catheter in order to X-ray your valves, coronary arteries, and heart chambers.

Cardiac Catheterization is used to:

• Evaluate or confirm the presence of heart disease (such as coronary artery disease, heart valve disease, or disease of the aorta)
• Evaluate heart muscle function
• Determine the need for further treatment (such as an interventional procedure or bypass surgery)
  

The procedure is generally safe. However, as with any invasive procedure, there are risks. Special precautions are taken to decrease these risks. Your doctor will discuss the risks of the procedure with you.

Risks are uncommon but can include:

• Bleeding around the point of puncture
• Abnormal heart rhythms
• Blood clots
• Infection
• Allergic reaction to the dye
• Stroke
• Heart attack
• Perforation of a blood vessel
• Air embolism (introduction of air into a blood vessel, which can be life-threatening)
• Death

Be sure to ask your doctor any questions you may have before undergoing the procedure.