During anangiogram,contrast substancesare injected into the blood to better show how it flows.
This can help with diagnosing and treating various medical conditions, especially those that impact the heart and brain.
Angiography is not considered a high risk procedure.
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This article discusses the reasons why angiography is performed.
It also covers techniques, side effects, complications, and the recovery associated with this procedure.
What Is Angiography Used For?
Angiography may also be used to deliver treatment.
For example,angioplastymay be done to remove blockages and open up narrowed arteries.
They will also go over the purpose, risks, and benefits of the angiogram.
This is an excellent opportunity to ask any questions that might come up.
Timing
It will be important to arrive prior to the testing for the intake process.
This may involve completing paperwork, changing into a hospital gown, and having intravenous access placed.
Prior to the procedure, you will be transferred into the suite where the angiogram is performed.
Depending on the intervention, the angiogram procedure may last more than an hour.
Recovery after may add several additional hours.
Location
Angiography takes place in the catheterization lab or cath lab of a hospital or medical center.
What to Wear
Individuals undergoing an angiogram will disrobe and change into a hospital gown.
Cost and Health Insurance
The procedure may require a prior authorization process to ensure insurance coverage.
Deductibles and co-payments may add to the out-of-pocket expense.
Without insurance, the procedure could easily cost thousands of dollars.
What to Bring
It will be important to bring identification and health insurance information to the procedure.
Comfortable, loose-fitting clothing is recommended to wear home.
You will also need someone to drive you home after the angiogram is completed.
Pre-Test
Local orgeneral anestheticsare given to sedate you and numb the access point.
Throughout the Test
The angiography procedure involves several steps:
Is an Angiogram Painful?
Throughout this process there may be mild stinging, pressure, or discomfort at the insertion site.
Coronary angiography, which is done to see the heart’s blood vessels, is slightly different.
It involves the following:
Angiography may take an hour or more, depending on what is required.
Often you will remain lying flat for a specified period of time.
You should not drive home.
After Angiography
Some people feel back to normal within a day or two.
They may need to help prepare food or administer medications.
If your chest hurts after an angiogram, call your healthcare provider.
What Are the Risks of Angiography?
As with any medical procedure, there is the possibility of side effects or complications.
These may be more likely if there are procedural mistakes, allergies, or coexisting medical conditions.
Restriction of breathing (anaphylaxis) can occur, but this is rare.
General Anesthetics
Thoughgeneral anestheticsare rarely needed to perform angiography, some risks are involved if they are utilized.
The goal of general anesthesia in angiography is to limit sensation, rather than to make a person unconscious.
However, loss of sensation could mask the recognition of some kinds of complications.
In situations of an anesthetic overdose, reversal agents may be provided to restore normal organ function.
Contrast media can cause constriction of the throat through the release of histamines or induce allergic responses to iodine.
Chemotoxicity can result due to the interaction of the contrast media and blood.
Newer contrast media may reduce the risk.
Heparin-Induced Thrombocytopenia (HIT)
Heparin is a blood thinner used during angiography.
This may cause blood clots to form via thrombosis.
Treatment is possible and the platelet counts may be monitored to ensure normalization.
Nevertheless, the risk still exists and may be made worse by factors that decrease clotting ability.
Hematomas most notably occur near the femoral artery.
The angiography procedure includes steps taken to reduce hematoma risks.
Post-surgery, your healthcare provider applies pressure to the sheath site to keep large hematomas from forming.
Likewise, resting after surgery limits the risk of forming hematomas.
False Aneurysm
A false aneurysm (called a pseudoaneurysm) can occur when a smaller artery is accidentally catheterized.
Most fistulas should be monitored but will close off with time.
Blockage can occur, particularly in people with smaller blood vessel size, arterial disease, ordiabetes.
A clot, or thrombus, may form.
The risk may be reduced by regularly flushing the sheath and using anticoagulants during longer procedures.
This may need to be treated with surgery to remove the clot (called thrombectomy).
Cholesterol Emboli
Physical disruption of cholesterol deposited along the lining of blood vessels can lead to an embolism.
These cholesterol plaques commonly narrow blood vessels inatherosclerosis.
Symptomatic occurrences of cholesterol emboli associated with an angiogram are rare.
Risk factors include age, repeated vascular procedures, and elevated amounts of inflammation-driven C-reactive protein.
When this occurs, an affected individual may begin to feel nauseous, sweat, or yawn.
The healthcare provider will adjust the catheter position and monitor vital signs.
It is usually immediately reversible by pulling back the catheter.
If it persists and leads to an unstable blood pressure, this may require defibrillation.
Stroke occurs in less than 1% of people with risk factors.
It is more likely to occur in longer, more complicated procedures.
Death
Unfortunately, death may also occur due to angiography in rare circumstances.
You’ll need a follow-up appointment with your healthcare provider in the weeks after the angiogram.
This allows you to discuss the results of the intervention and whether your symptoms have improved.
In rare cases, an angiogram may be repeated for further evaluation or intervention.
Coronary Angiography
The coronary arteries supply blood flow to the heart and are vital to its function.
Additional imaging techniques may be used with the procedure to enhance the visualization.
It may also be useful in detecting and treatingcancerous tumorssince fast growing tumors contain a lot of blood vessels.
The procedure involves injecting contrast substances into the blood to better show how it flows.
The Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions.Your angiogram: What to expect.
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Angioplasty and stent placement for the heart.
doi:10.1186/s12872-022-02796-2
American Heart Association.What is a coronary angiogram?
