Heart Catheterization Can Diagnosis Deadly Blockages?

Answer 1

Experiencing chest pain is scary for most people. Whenever a person enters into the health care system with chest pain, it is incumbent upon the physician to find the cause of the pain. Chest pain can be caused by a number of conditions. Diseases like pneumonia, pleurisy, stomach ulcers and other process can cause chest pain. Most physicians start by ruling out a cardiac etiology.

Upon entry into the system patients with chest pain will receive an electrocardiogram and lab tests. If either of these tests indicates a potential cardiac problem, the physician will order a heart catheterization. This is an outpatient procedure done to determine if the patient has any heart blockages. Early detection and treatment of these blockages can save the person's life by preventing a heart attack.

The patient is sedated, but not given general anesthesia. A slim catheter is entered into a major artery via a small incision in the groin or arm. The catheter is then threaded up into the heart using x-ray technology. Dyes are inserted and the physician can visual the heart and vessels on a monitor. The physician can follow the flow of blood through the heart and determine if there are areas of restriction. If restrictions are present, the physician can insert stints to open the vessels.

Recovery takes several hours. A sandbag or pressure device is placed on the area where the heart catheterization was done. This is necessary to ensure that the area does not bleed. Without appropriate pressure, the area can bleed into the surrounding tissues. The recovery staff will require the patient to rest flat on his or her back for at least 6 hours. Then the pressure device can be removed, and the patient can go home.

There are risks associate with a heart catheterization. The patient can have an allergic reaction, infection, heart attack during the procedure, infection, and other complications. However, the majority of patients have no adverse effects from the procedure.

Finding blockages and repairing them early provides a patient with the best possible outcome. The earlier the plaque is found the smaller it is this makes restoring the blood flow to the vessel easier. The larger the blockage is, the harder it is to restore blood flow. Regardless of the size of the blockage, having a heart catheterization can detect these deadly blockages and get them treated averting life-threatening conditions.