Specialized invasive procedure in which a thin flexible tube called a catheter is inserted through a blood vessel (vein or artery) and its carried to different parts of the circulatory system, often to the cardiac cavities where information on circulatory functioning is obtained and the degree of affection in the different cardiovascular pathologies (myocardial infarction, angina, valvular lesions, vascular lesions, biopsies).
The cardiologist may use the cardiac catheterization procedure for any of the following purposes:
- Confirm the existence of a congenital heart defect (present from birth).
- Demonstrate the presence of narrow or blocked blood vessels that could be the cause of chest pain.
- Check for heart valve problems.
- Measure the amount of oxygen in the heart (hemodynamic evaluation).
- Measure the pressure inside the heart.
- Take a sample of tissue from the heart to perform a biopsy.
- Evaluate and determine the need for new treatments.
Cardiac catheterization also allows them to see if there are congenital (birth) defects, such as communications (holes) in the atrial or ventricular septum, measure oxygen concentrations in different parts of the heart and obtain samples of cardiac tissue (biopsy) for the diagnosis of certain diseases.
