What is cardiac catheterisation?
A cardiac catheter is a fine flexible tube passed into a blood vessel — usually in the groin — and guided up into the heart under X-ray. It allows two things that no scan can do: direct measurement of pressure and oxygen levels inside each chamber and vessel, and injection of contrast dye to produce high-resolution moving X-ray pictures of the heart and its vessels.
For decades it has been the reference standard for assessing congenital heart disease, and it remains so where the anatomy or the pressures need to be known precisely.
Why it is done
What happens
The procedure is done under sedation or general anaesthesia. A small puncture is made in the groin, the catheter is guided into position, measurements and pictures are taken, and the catheter is removed. Pressure is applied to the puncture site.
It usually takes one to two hours. Most children are observed for a few hours afterwards and many go home the same day or the next morning.
Diagnosis and treatment in one session
Frequently the study confirms that a defect can be closed with a device, and the closure is done in the same session. That means one anaesthetic and one hospital visit instead of two. We will discuss this possibility with you in advance and take your consent for both.