Patient education: Cardiac catheterization – Discharge instructions (The Basics)

What are discharge instructions? — Discharge instructions are information about how to take care of yourself after getting medical care for a health problem.

What is cardiac catheterization? — Cardiac catheterization, or "cardiac cath," is a procedure doctors do to look for certain heart problems. For this test, the doctor puts a thin tube into a blood vessel in the leg or arm. Then, they move the tube up to the heart (figure 1). Doctors usually do a cardiac cath to understand how your heart is working or why you have symptoms such as chest pain.

Many people who have a cardiac cath have a test called "coronary angiography" done as part of the procedure. This involves injecting a dye that shows up on an X-ray. Doctors do coronary angiography to look at the arteries in a person's heart. They can see if there are any blockages in the arteries and how serious they are.

How do I care for myself at home? — Ask the doctor or nurse what you should do when you go home. Make sure that you understand exactly what you need to do to care for yourself. Ask questions if there is anything you do not understand.

You should also:

●Take all of your medicines as instructed.

●Make sure that you know how to care for the cut (incision) that was made in your skin. Your doctor or nurse will tell you:

•When and how to change the bandage

•When you can take a shower or bath

•When to get your stitches or staples removed, if needed

●Wash your hands before and after touching your incision or bandage.

●Lie down if your incision starts to bleed. Put pressure on the area until bleeding stops.

●Follow your doctor's instructions about lifting heavy objects. The doctor or nurse will also tell you when you can go back to your normal activities. This includes things like driving, work, exercise, and sex.

●Talk to your doctor about how much fluid you should drink if you had coronary angiography. Fluid helps flush the dye out of your body.

What follow-up care do I need? — Your doctor will probably want to see you about a week after your cardiac cath. At this appointment, they will discuss your results and what to do next.

When should I call the doctor? — Call for emergency help right away (in the US and Canada, call 9-1-1) if you think that you might be having a heart attack or stroke.

Symptoms of a heart attack might include:

●Severe chest pain, pressure, or discomfort with:

•Trouble breathing, sweating, upset stomach, or cold and clammy skin

•Pain in your arms, back, or jaw

•Worse pain with activity like walking up stairs

●Fast or irregular heartbeat

●Feeling dizzy, faint, or weak

Symptoms of a stroke might include:

●Numbness or weakness of the face, arm, or leg, especially on 1 side of the body

●Confusion, or trouble speaking or understanding

●Trouble seeing in 1 or both eyes

●Trouble walking, dizziness, or loss of balance or coordination

●Severe headache with no known cause

Call your doctor for advice if:

●The area where the tube went in bleeds a lot.

●You have pain, numbness or tingling, swelling, or redness near where the tube went in.

●You have signs of an allergic reaction like itching, wheezing, or feeling like your tongue or throat is swelling.

●You have signs of infection like fever or pain with urination.

●Your leg or hand is weak or numb.

●You have any new or worrying symptoms.

More on this topic

Patient education: Cardiac catheterization (The Basics)
Patient education: Chest pain (The Basics)
Patient education: Heart murmurs (The Basics)
Patient education: Coronary artery disease (The Basics)
Patient education: Heart attack (The Basics)
Patient education: Stenting for the heart (The Basics)

Patient education: Chest pain (Beyond the Basics)
Patient education: Heart attack (Beyond the Basics)
Patient education: Heart failure (Beyond the Basics)
Patient education: Stenting for the heart (Beyond the Basics)
Patient education: Angina treatment — medical versus interventional therapy (Beyond the Basics)