1. Passing a Tube Into an Organ
The word catheterization means to slip a tube into an organ. For example, a bladder catheterization is the passage of a tube--a catheter--through the urethra into the bladder. The most common invasive procedure done on the heart is a cardiac catheterization. During this procedure, a catheter is inserted into a vein or artery in the arm or leg and threaded into the heart. When the bladder is catheterized, it is for the purpose of draining it. When the heart is catheterized, it is for the purpose of gaining information or performing a procedure. Catheterization can reveal information about heart valves, coronary arteries, the strength of the heart and the presence of any congenital abnormalities.
2. The Procedure
Cardiologists do most cardiac catheterizations. Less commonly, specially trained radiologists perform the procedure. It is performed in a catheterization lab--a room that is sterile like an operating room but equipped with flouroscopy, video and a variety of other visualization hardware. After an area on an arm or leg is cleaned and prepped, the cardiologist numbs the skin. A guide needle is then inserted into either a vein or an artery. A catheter is slipped over the guide needle. Once in the artery or vein, the catheter is threaded up and eventually into the heart.
3. Teeny, Tiny Catheters: Teeny, Tiny Patients
At one time, a cardiac birth defect was almost always fatal. That is no longer true. Pediatric cardiologists routinely perform catheterizations on infants, defining the abnormality and sometimes even fixing it without the need of open heart surgery. One of the most remarkable developments is the ability to do catheterization on infants while they are still in utero--repairing the defect and preventing problems at birth.
4. Preventing Heart Attacks
The most common reason for doing catheterization is to evaluate and treat coronary artery disease. A catheter is snaked into a coronary artery, dye is injected, and it is possible to visualize any narrowing of the artery. When narrowing is noted, it is sometimes possible to flatten the narrowing by pumping up a balloon at the end of the catheter. This is a procedure known as angioplasty.
5. Low Risk
While it seems like an incredibly risky procedure, catheterization is actually very safe, with a low incidence of side effects. In only 1 percent to 2 percent of catheterizations are there major complications.
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