Cardiac catheterization

When is a cardiac catheterization performed?

Cardiac catheterization or coronary angiography is the gold standard for visualizing the coronary vessels. With the aid of a catheter, the vessels of the heart are filled with contrast medium and filmed. For this purpose an artery in the arm is punctured. If the investigation reveals a stenosis or an obstruction in the coronary arteries, these can usually be treated in the course of the investigation. The stenosis or constriction can be dilated by the use of a stent. In many cases this investigation helps to avoid open-heart bypass surgery.
Whether a cardiac catheterization is needed will be decided by the cardiologist, who uses other investigations (echocardiography, ergometry) for this purpose; it also depends on the patient’s symptoms.
The cardiac catheterization is usually entirely painless for the patient.

Where is a cardiac catheterization performed?

If a cardiac catheter is needed, I can advise you in detail about it at the medical office and perform the investigation myself at SMZ South KFJ Hospital. At the Catheter Center in SMZ South KFJ Hospital, our team performs more than 1200 cardiac catheterizations per year; these include diagnostic cardiac catheters as well as stent implantations.