Patient was educated about cardiac catheterization as follows:
- Cardiac catheterization is a procedure used to diagnose and treat several cardiovascular conditions. This procedure involves insertion of a long thin tube called catheter into a peripheral vein or into an artery in the groin or arm and then, lead into the heart.
- This procedure helps in locating blockage in the blood vessels, such as, coronary arteries. The blockage can be secondary to plaque formation or a clot deposition, leading to chest pain and heart attack. Cardiac catheterization also helps in performing procedures, such as, coronary angioplasty and stent placement.
- Catheterization also helps in checking the pressures in different chambers of the heart. This can help diagnose any deficiencies with regards to the efficiency of heart as a pump, helping to move the blood forward in the circulation pathway, diagnose any conditions of the heart, such as valvular defects, resulting in decreased output and backup of blood and performing procedures, such as, repairing a leaky valve or a valvuloplasty.
- Cardiac catheterization also helps with ablation of abnormal structures causing altered conduction rhythms in the heart.
