Cardiac catheterization is a medical procedure that involves passing a thin, flexible tube, called a catheter, into the heart. The catheter is inserted into a vein in the arm, neck or groin and then threaded into the heart. The procedure is used...
The American Heart Association describes cardiac catheterization as a procedure in physicians insert a long hollow thin tube into a blood vessel, and threads it through the blood vessels to the heart or the arteries connected to the heart. After...
Cardiac catheterization involves the passage of a catheter into a blood vessel in the leg or arm. The catheter is guided through the blood vessels into the cardiac chambers and coronary arteries. Doctors use cardiac catheterization to perform...
A cardiac catheterization may be performed if a cardiologist suspects that a patient has heart disease or a heart defect. During the procedure a long, narrow tube, or catheter, is inserted into a patient's vein or artery within his neck, arm or...
The first cardiac catheterization boldly performed by Dr. Werner Forssmann, on himself, in 1929, marked the beginning of non-invasive heart surgery. Today, this procedure is primarily used to diagnose heart conditions and treat plaque buildup in...
Cardiac catheterizations are done by inserting a thin wire through an artery in the groin or arm and threading the wire into a coronary artery. The coronary arteries are the arteries that supply the heart muscle with blood. This procedure allows a...
More than a million people a year have a heart attack in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Coronary artery disease, characterized by the accumulation of plaque in the vessels supplying the heart, is...
During a cardiac catheterization, a cardiologist inserts a long thin tube called a catheter through the groin into the heart; a special x-ray machine is used to assist the physician. Once the catheter reaches the heart, the doctor injects dye to...
Cardiac catheterization is a procedure used to check the heart for problems, including blocked arteries and valve abnormalities. According to the Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals, the cardiologist inserts a long, thin catheter into an...
Cardiac catheterization is a diagnostic procedure in which a narrow tube called a catheter is inserted into the blood vessels within the heart though a vein or artery in the arm, groin or neck. Once placed, the catheter is injected with a dye that...
Cardiac catheterization, also known as a coronary angiogram or cardiac cath, is considered an invasive imaging procedure. According to the Cleveland Clinic, a cardiac catheterization is used to determine coronary artery disease, valve disease or...
Coronary angioplasty and stent implantation are two of the most common procedures performed in the United States. The procedure is not surgery. It is a catheterization. A small hollow tube is inserted in to the femoral (leg) or radial (wrist)...
Heart catheterization, also known as cardiac catheterization, is a procedure performed by a cardiologist, or heart doctor. The doctor uses this procedure to diagnose or treat certain heart conditions, and to examine the overall condition of your...
Congenital heart disease describes a defect in the structure of the heart or its vessels that occurs during fetal development. Congenital heart disease can be either mild or severe, and treatment options depend on the type and severity of the...
During a cardiac catheterization, a cardiologist passes a long catheter through a large artery---typically the femoral---into the heart in order to determine the health of the heart. Complications of cardiac catheterization may be life-threatening...
Angiography describes a minimally invasive diagnostic procedure to examine blood vessels throughout the body. Doctors use angiography to visualize blood flow through the lungs, kidneys, brain and heart. An angiography performed to specifically see...
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, with coronary artery disease being the common most type, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Individuals who have a family history or suspect they may have...
Catheters consist of thin tubes that are inserted into a part of the body to inject or drain away fluid, or to keep a passage into an area open. Catheters come in many shapes and sizes. They can provide life-sustaining bodily functions and help...
Heart tests given by doctors help determine the cause of specific symptoms. Different tests provide different information. The most basic heart test can lead to more invasive diagnostic procedures. It is not uncommon for patients with symptoms of...
Cardiologists diagnose and treat heart conditions, including heart diseases and diseases of the blood vessels. These diseases include, but are not limited to, heart attacks, congenital heart defects and coronary artery disease. These doctors also...
According to the American Heart Association, an enlarged heart is identified through physical exam or other diagnostic procedure. It can occur as a result of damage to the heart muscle from heart attack, congestive heart failure and other...
The coronary arteries are those blood vessels that supply the heart muscle with the blood, oxygen and nutrients necessary to keep it functioning. These blood vessels can become blocked with fatty buildup of plaque in a process called...
There are more than 80 diseases that affect the heart, according to the Cleveland Clinic. There are many tests and procedures that can assist physicians in diagnosing the correct condition. These tests can be grouped according to non-invasive...
Being able to identify common symptoms of mitral valve stenosis allows you to diagnose this potentially serious heart condition and begin to undergo treatment. People who have mitral stenosis have a narrowing in the mitral valve, which prevents...
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...
One of the most serious progressive disorders, primarily affecting young women, is pulmonary artery hypertension, or PAH. PAH results from increased and sustained high blood pressure in the pulmonary artery, which increase the strain on the heart...
Some children are born with a small hole in their hearts, known as atrial septal defects, or ASDs, according to Mayo Clinic. The hole occurs in the muscle wall between the two upper chambers of the heart. If a child has a small ASD, it may close...
Angiography is a clinical procedure in which doctors inject a special type of dye into a blood vessel. The data from an angiography test is called an angiogram. The dye, called contrast dye, is visible by X-ray imaging, and the doctor is able to...
The American Heart Association says that stroke is the number 3 killer disease in the United States, after heart disease and cancer. A stroke occurs when blood flow to the brain is reduced or blocked entirely. When this happens, the brain is...