Have any of you undergone heart catheritization?

[pscot]

Mine is scheduled for next week and I'd like to know what to expect. My Dr. says the risks are low. What was your experience?

[Jackpine Radical]

1. 22 years ago, yes.

It's invasive as hell, but really pretty safe. It was somewhat less save in the era in which I underwent it.

[Warpy]

8. Not as invasive as a bypass

It won't make anyone's day, but local anesthesia plus IV drugs are safer than general anesthesia and people usually do fine with them. We always had to recite a list of scary complications but in 13 years on a heart unit, I never saw any of them but pseudo aneurysms at the insertion site, something technology has pretty much taken care of now that they use pressure cuffs instead of either large clamps or (40 years ago) our fists to make sure the artery wouldn't let go after we pulled the insertion sheath.

I won't say the OP has nothing to worry about, but the statistics are all on his side and sometimes we just have to go with that.

[Jackpine Radical]

11. In my case, things didn't go so smoothly.

My angioplasty went bad when a coronary urtery ruptured in mid-procedure, resulting in my undergoing an emergency bypass that I nearly didn't survive. When I next became conscious, I had circular burn marks all over my thorax from the shock pads they had applied to jolt me out of fibrillation.

[Warpy]

12. Yes, that's why they scare everybody to death when they sign consent

I was lucky. Pseudoaneurysm in the groin was the worst I saw. It required surgical repair. It also happened mostly when the docs pulled the sheath. Nurses had a better record, so they eventually had us do all of them.

I'm glad you're still with us.

[Frustratedlady]

2. A piece of cake if your doctor knows what they are doing.

I've had several and only one was a problem. That was when they hit a nerve when entering the groin. Otherwise, the only problem I had was being allergic to the dye, but they can bring that down pretty quickly.

This last time, I was so busy with the hives, I didn't know they had put in the stents. It is very interesting and a miracle. Good luck.

[pscot]

6. We all hope our doctors know what they're doing, don't we.

[Warpy]

9. Well, I'll tell you if they forget

Feeling flushed and prickly when the dye goes in is normal. You need to tell them if you have chest pain, cold sweat, nausea, itching, or shortness of breath so they can deal with those before proceeding. That's why you're really groggy but semi awake during the procedure, so you can tell them if something is starting to feel really weird.

[Rhiannon12866]

3. My mother did and everything worked out just fine

The only issue was some short term effects because it was determined she was allergic to the dye they used. Best of luck with this...

[YarnAddict]

4. A couple of years ago

It wasn't as bad as I expected. I had some problems, but that was because I have such crappy blood vessels. First, the IV needle BENT inside my vein--very uncomfortable. The nurse said she had never seen that happen before. Then, the doc had trouble getting the catheter in my blood vessel. He finally did, but it took longer than it should have.

After the procedure you have to lie very still for quite a while, so as not to dislodge the clot. A friend of mine had a problem with that because he has back problems, and the position was quite uncomfortable.

Other than those little things, it wasn't bad at all.

[MannyGoldstein]

5. I've *watched* a lot of them

Mostly on newborns and infants, at Boston Children's Hospital about 20 years ago. Caths on children are actually much more serious, invasive, and take hours.

In any case, even on kids with serious heart defects, these were pretty boring, routine procedures. People who haven't seen surgery or procedures like caths tend to think that it's a great life-or-death adventure with much drama, but it's actually really boring and bad things rarely happen unless a patient is quite sick/hurt.

Good luck!

[Warpy]

10. Some of our docs brought in CDs to play

but yes, stuff that used to be heroics has gotten really rooutine.

[Ron Obvious]

7. Yeah, it's a piece of cake

They inject you with a dye and then hook you up to a computer. You don't feel anything or suffer any kind of discomfort, other than the nervousness about what they might find.

After it, you have to lie flat on your back with your head slightly elevated for four hours. That's just boring and time crawls.

I had mine 18 months ago.

[Jane Austin]

13. I had it last November.

If you are lucky you will have a doctor who can do it through your arm rather than your leg.

That way you are only immobilized for six hours instead of 24 afterward.

I didn't feel a thing, except where they insert the catheter and that just feels like getting an IV put in.

If there is blockage in your arteries, the cardiologist will determine whether to put in a stent or to refer you to heart bypass surgery - if there is a great deal of blockage.

If they put in a stent, you will have to take a medication to make your blood more slippery for the rest of your life so it doesn't catch on the stent and form a clot.

Luckily my results were very good so I didn't have to do anything further.

Best of luck to you.

[SheilaT]

14. My sister went through several of them some years back.

From what she said, it was somewhat unpleasant, but bearable. And the results were worth it.

Tell yourself: My doctor knows what she is doing. This is a procedure that is commonly done. It is one that makes life better. My life will be better. Any discomfort I feel is temporary. I will heal completely and easily. After this I will be healthier, and I will be able to live the life I want to have.

[pscot]

15. Thanks to all

Hopefully this will go well. I'l post an update afterwards.