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Heart catheterization for congenital heart defects
About this test
A heart catheterization is a procedure used for both diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects. The procedure allows doctors to see how blood flows through the heart chambers and arteries. This test may also be called angiography (angiogram), cardiac catheterization, or heart cath.
For a heart catheterization, a thin, flexible tube called a
catheter is threaded through a blood vessel in the groin, or sometimes in
another location, and into the heart. Through the catheter, the doctor can
measure pressures, take blood samples, and inject a special dye (contrast material) into the
chambers of the heart 
or the
coronary arteries . The doctor watches the movement of the dye through the heart's
chambers and blood vessels.
A heart catheterization can be used to:
- See whether the structure (anatomy) of the heart is normal.
- Measure pressures in the heart chambers and see how the blood is flowing through the heart.
- Collect samples of blood from inside the heart.
- Inject a dye into the heart or arteries to see whether there are abnormal blockages in the blood vessels or abnormalities of the heart chambers (such as defects or holes between chambers).
- View and correct certain heart defects.
A heart catheterization usually takes between 2 and 3 hours to complete. After the test, pressure must be applied over the catheter site for 10 to 20 minutes to stop bleeding and bruising. Then a large bandage is used to apply pressure to the catheter site for 4 to 6 hours.
| By: | Healthwise Staff | Last Revised: October 12, 2009 |
| Medical Review: | John Pope, MD - Pediatrics Larry A. Latson, MD - Pediatric Cardiology | |
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