Angiogram
What is an angiogram?
An angiogram allows your doctor to look inside your
coronary arteries and find out
where and how severe any narrowed areas are.
It's also known as a coronary angiogram or a
cardiac catheterisation.
The procedure helps your doctor decide what
treatment you might need. It can also give
information about how effectively your heart is pumping and
about the blood pressure inside your heart.
An angiogram can also be helpful for investigating other
conditions, such as
congenital heart disease.
What happens during an angiogram?
Your hospital will ask you not to eat or drink anything for a
few hours before your angiogram takes place. The test is done in a
cath lab. You can expect the test to last
half an hour, although it can sometimes take
longer.
You’ll be given a local anaesthetic in the arm
or groin, where a catheter (a thin, flexible tube)
will be passed into the artery. Using an x-ray, the catheter will
be directed through your blood vessels and into your heart. A
special dye will then be passed through the catheter and a series
of x-rays will be taken. You might feel a
hot, flushing
sensation from the dye. The dye will show up any
narrowed areas or blockages in the artery on the x-ray.
During your procedure, you’ll be monitored by a heart
monitor that records your heart rate and rhythm, but if
you feel unwell or uncomfortable at any time, you should tell a
member of the hospital staff.
What happens afterwards?
After the procedure, the catheter will be removed and you might
have a small amount of bleeding. If so, the nurse or doctor will
press on the cut for a little while or insert a plug called an
angioseal. They might ask you to stay in bed for a
short time. Most people are able to go home on the
same day, but some people may
stay in hospital longer.
The most common after-effect is bruising around
the groin area, if that is where your catheter was put in, and you
may feel tender for a few days. You might feel tired, but you
should be back to normal within a few days. If you are worried
about any of the after-effects, contact your doctor.
Many people who have coronary angiogram go on to have a
treatment called
coronary angioplasty.
What are the risks?
If there is bleeding from the area that the catheter was placed
in, you might have a patch where blood collects under the
skin. This is called a haematoma. It can
be uncomfortable and cause bruising.
An angiogram is a relatively
safe test and serious
complications are rare. The risk of having a heart attack, stroke
or dying is estimated at one in every 1000 people. The risk depends
on your overall health and your individual heart condition – your
doctor will not recommend the test if they don’t feel the benefits
outweigh the small risk.
More information
Download our booklet
Tests for heart conditions or order our DVD
Going with the flow.
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