Cardiac catheterization

It’s important to identify people who may be at high risk for cardiomyopathy. After all, some people with cardiomyopathy never have signs or symptoms. Others don’t have signs or symptoms in the early stages of the disease. If people without symptoms recognize their heightened risk for cardiomyopathy, there’s a better chance of diagnosing it early, when treatment may be most effective. Signs and symptoms of cardiomyopathy include: • Shortness of breath or trouble breathing, especially with physical exertion • Fatigue • Swelling in the ankles, feet, legs, abdomen and veins in the neck • Dizziness • Lightheadedness • Fainting during physical activity • • • Signs and symptoms of heart failure usually occur in the later stages of cardiomyopathy, as the heart weakens. How is cardiomyopathy diagnosed? Your health care professional will diagnose cardiomyopathy based on your medical history, family history, a physical exam and diagnostic test results. A cardiologist or pediatric cardiologist usually diagnose and treat cardiomyopathy. These doctors specialize in heart diseases. Medical and family histories Your health care professional will want to learn about your medical history as well as any signs and symptoms you may have. Your physician will also want to know whether anyone in your family has been diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, Physical exam Using a stethoscope, your health care professional will listen to your heart and lungs for sounds that may suggest cardiomyopathy. Partic...

Cardiac catheterization is also the basis for several therapeutic interventions (see Percutaneous Coronary Interventions (PCI) Percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) include percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) with or without stent insertion. Primary indications are treatment of Angina pectoris... read more ). Procedure Pulmonary artery occlusion pressure (pulmonary artery wedge pressure) Some monitoring of critical care patients depends on direct observation and physical examination and is intermittent, with the frequency depending on the patient’s illness. Other monitoring... read more (PAOP—see figure Diagram of the cardiac cycle, showing pressure curves of the cardiac chambers, heart sounds, jugular pulse wave, and the ECG ) Right heart pressure measurements may help in the diagnosis of Overview of Cardiomyopathies A cardiomyopathy is a primary disorder of the heart muscle. It is distinct from structural cardiac disorders such as coronary artery disease, valvular disorders, and congenital heart disorders... read more , Constrictive pericarditis Pericarditis is inflammation of the pericardium, often with fluid accumulation in the pericardial space. Pericarditis may be caused by many disorders (eg, infection, myocardial infarction, trauma... read more , and Cardiac Tamponade Cardiac tamponade is accumulation of blood in the pericardial sac of sufficient volume and pressure to impair cardiac filling. Patients typically have hypotension, muffled heart ...

• • Non-surgical procedure to improve blood flow through narrowed or blocked coronary arteries • • For coronary artery disease, chronic total occlusion, acute coronary syndromes, angina • • May involve implanting a stent in the affected artery • • Involves cardiovascular medicine, interventional cardiology program Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is a non-surgical procedure used to treat the blockages in a coronary artery; it opens up narrowed or blocked sections of the artery, restoring blood flow to the heart. The average heart beats 100,000 time per day, constantly pumping oxygen-rich blood into the arteries and onward to organs, muscles, and other tissues throughout the body. But the heart itself is a muscle, and like all the other tissues in the body, it also needs a steady supply of oxygen-rich blood to stay healthy and work properly. This blood is delivered to the heart by the coronary arteries. Certain conditions can cause the coronary arteries to narrow or become blocked, restricting or blocking blood flow to the heart. For instance, in coronary artery disease—the most common type of heart disease in the U.S.—plaque deposits within the walls of the coronary arteries cause them to narrow, reducing blood flow and leading to chest pain and, in some cases, a heart attack. That’s where a treatment like percutaneous coronary intervention can be important. In the U.S., around 900,000 PCIs are performed every year. “PCI is a non-surgical and minimally invasive met...

Left heart catheterization involves the passage of a catheter (a thin flexible tube) into the left side of the heart to obtain diagnostic information about the left side of the heart or to provide therapeutic interventions in certain types of heart conditions. The test can determine pressure and blood flow in the heart's chambers, collect blood samples from the heart, and examine the arteries of the heart by X-ray (fluoroscopy). You may be given a mild medicine (sedative) before the procedure starts. The medicine is to help you relax. The health care provider will place an IV into your arm to give medicines. You will lie on a padded table. Your doctor will make a small puncture on your body near one of your arteries. A flexible tube (catheter) is inserted into and through the artery. It will be placed in your wrist, arm or your upper leg (groin). You will most likely be awake during the procedure. Live x-ray pictures are used to help guide the catheters up into your heart and arteries. Dye (sometimes called "contrast") will be injected into your body. This dye will highlight blood flow through the arteries. This helps show blockages in the blood vessels that lead to your heart. The catheter is then moved through the aortic valve into the left side of your heart. The pressure is measured in the heart in this position. Other procedures can also be done at this time, such as: • • • The procedure may last from less than 1 hour to several hours. Millions of Americans are living...

What is cardiac catheterization? In cardiac catheterization (often called cardiac cath), your doctor puts a very small, flexible, hollow tube (called a catheter) into a blood vessel in the groin, arm, or neck. Then he or she threads it through the blood vessel into the aorta and into the heart. Once the catheter is in place, several tests may be done. Your doctor can place the tip of the catheter into various parts of the heart to measure the pressures within the heart chambers or take blood samples to measure oxygen levels. Your doctor can guide the catheter into the coronary arteries and inject contrast dye to check blood flow through them. (The coronary arteries are the vessels that carry blood to the heart muscle.) This is called coronary angiography. These are some of the other procedures that may be done during or after a cardiac cath: • Angioplasty. In this procedure, your doctor can inflate a tiny balloon at the tip of the catheter. This presses any plaque buildup against the artery wall and improves blood flow through the artery. • Stent placement. In this procedure, your doctor expands a tiny metal mesh coil or tube at the end of the catheter inside an artery to keep it open. • Fractional flow reserve. This is a pressure management technique that’s used in catheterization to see how much blockage is in an artery • Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS). This test uses a computer and a transducer to send out ultrasonic sound waves to create images of the blood vessels. B...

Left heart catheterization involves the passage of a catheter (a thin flexible tube) into the left side of the heart to obtain diagnostic information about the left side of the heart or to provide therapeutic interventions in certain types of heart conditions. The test can determine pressure and blood flow in the heart's chambers, collect blood samples from the heart, and examine the arteries of the heart by X-ray (fluoroscopy). You may be given a mild medicine (sedative) before the procedure starts. The medicine is to help you relax. The health care provider will place an IV into your arm to give medicines. You will lie on a padded table. Your doctor will make a small puncture on your body near one of your arteries. A flexible tube (catheter) is inserted into and through the artery. It will be placed in your wrist, arm or your upper leg (groin). You will most likely be awake during the procedure. Live x-ray pictures are used to help guide the catheters up into your heart and arteries. Dye (sometimes called "contrast") will be injected into your body. This dye will highlight blood flow through the arteries. This helps show blockages in the blood vessels that lead to your heart. The catheter is then moved through the aortic valve into the left side of your heart. The pressure is measured in the heart in this position. Other procedures can also be done at this time, such as: • • • The procedure may last from less than 1 hour to several hours. Millions of Americans are living...

It’s important to identify people who may be at high risk for cardiomyopathy. After all, some people with cardiomyopathy never have signs or symptoms. Others don’t have signs or symptoms in the early stages of the disease. If people without symptoms recognize their heightened risk for cardiomyopathy, there’s a better chance of diagnosing it early, when treatment may be most effective. Signs and symptoms of cardiomyopathy include: • Shortness of breath or trouble breathing, especially with physical exertion • Fatigue • Swelling in the ankles, feet, legs, abdomen and veins in the neck • Dizziness • Lightheadedness • Fainting during physical activity • • • Signs and symptoms of heart failure usually occur in the later stages of cardiomyopathy, as the heart weakens. How is cardiomyopathy diagnosed? Your health care professional will diagnose cardiomyopathy based on your medical history, family history, a physical exam and diagnostic test results. A cardiologist or pediatric cardiologist usually diagnose and treat cardiomyopathy. These doctors specialize in heart diseases. Medical and family histories Your health care professional will want to learn about your medical history as well as any signs and symptoms you may have. Your physician will also want to know whether anyone in your family has been diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, Physical exam Using a stethoscope, your health care professional will listen to your heart and lungs for sounds that may suggest cardiomyopathy. Partic...

• • Non-surgical procedure to improve blood flow through narrowed or blocked coronary arteries • • For coronary artery disease, chronic total occlusion, acute coronary syndromes, angina • • May involve implanting a stent in the affected artery • • Involves cardiovascular medicine, interventional cardiology program Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is a non-surgical procedure used to treat the blockages in a coronary artery; it opens up narrowed or blocked sections of the artery, restoring blood flow to the heart. The average heart beats 100,000 time per day, constantly pumping oxygen-rich blood into the arteries and onward to organs, muscles, and other tissues throughout the body. But the heart itself is a muscle, and like all the other tissues in the body, it also needs a steady supply of oxygen-rich blood to stay healthy and work properly. This blood is delivered to the heart by the coronary arteries. Certain conditions can cause the coronary arteries to narrow or become blocked, restricting or blocking blood flow to the heart. For instance, in coronary artery disease—the most common type of heart disease in the U.S.—plaque deposits within the walls of the coronary arteries cause them to narrow, reducing blood flow and leading to chest pain and, in some cases, a heart attack. That’s where a treatment like percutaneous coronary intervention can be important. In the U.S., around 900,000 PCIs are performed every year. “PCI is a non-surgical and minimally invasive met...

Left heart catheterization involves the passage of a catheter (a thin flexible tube) into the left side of the heart to obtain diagnostic information about the left side of the heart or to provide therapeutic interventions in certain types of heart conditions. The test can determine pressure and blood flow in the heart's chambers, collect blood samples from the heart, and examine the arteries of the heart by X-ray (fluoroscopy). You may be given a mild medicine (sedative) before the procedure starts. The medicine is to help you relax. The health care provider will place an IV into your arm to give medicines. You will lie on a padded table. Your doctor will make a small puncture on your body near one of your arteries. A flexible tube (catheter) is inserted into and through the artery. It will be placed in your wrist, arm or your upper leg (groin). You will most likely be awake during the procedure. Live x-ray pictures are used to help guide the catheters up into your heart and arteries. Dye (sometimes called "contrast") will be injected into your body. This dye will highlight blood flow through the arteries. This helps show blockages in the blood vessels that lead to your heart. The catheter is then moved through the aortic valve into the left side of your heart. The pressure is measured in the heart in this position. Other procedures can also be done at this time, such as: • • • The procedure may last from less than 1 hour to several hours. Millions of Americans are living...

• • Non-surgical procedure to improve blood flow through narrowed or blocked coronary arteries • • For coronary artery disease, chronic total occlusion, acute coronary syndromes, angina • • May involve implanting a stent in the affected artery • • Involves cardiovascular medicine, interventional cardiology program Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is a non-surgical procedure used to treat the blockages in a coronary artery; it opens up narrowed or blocked sections of the artery, restoring blood flow to the heart. The average heart beats 100,000 time per day, constantly pumping oxygen-rich blood into the arteries and onward to organs, muscles, and other tissues throughout the body. But the heart itself is a muscle, and like all the other tissues in the body, it also needs a steady supply of oxygen-rich blood to stay healthy and work properly. This blood is delivered to the heart by the coronary arteries. Certain conditions can cause the coronary arteries to narrow or become blocked, restricting or blocking blood flow to the heart. For instance, in coronary artery disease—the most common type of heart disease in the U.S.—plaque deposits within the walls of the coronary arteries cause them to narrow, reducing blood flow and leading to chest pain and, in some cases, a heart attack. That’s where a treatment like percutaneous coronary intervention can be important. In the U.S., around 900,000 PCIs are performed every year. “PCI is a non-surgical and minimally invasive met...