Coronary angiography allows the experts in Penn Medicine's Interventional Cardiology Program to view the heart and blood vessels without making a large incision. A coronary angiogram can help us diagnose a range of heart conditions with precision and accuracy.
What is an Angiogram?
A coronary angiogram, also known as angiography, is a procedure to evaluate the heart's blood vessels. It's a type of cardiac catheterization, a group of procedures that use narrow tubes called catheters inserted into blood vessels to diagnose or treat heart conditions.
In a coronary angiogram, an interventional cardiologist injects a contrast dye through the catheter to highlight your heart and blood vessels. An X-ray machine takes multiple images to show how the contrast dye moves through your heart, highlighting any blockages or damaged blood vessels.
Who Might Need a Coronary Angiography?
Cardiologists usually use coronary angiograms to check for a blockage in blood flow through the heart. The test may help diagnose heart problems such as:
- Atherosclerosis, the buildup of a fatty substance (plaque) that blocks arteries
- Congenital heart disease, one or more problems with the heart's structure that are present at birth
- Coronary artery disease, narrowing in the blood vessels supplying blood to the heart (coronary arteries)
- Heart failure, when the heart doesn't pump blood as efficiently as it should
- Heart valve disease, narrowing or leaking in one or more heart valves, the tubes that control blood flow through the heart
Preparing for a Coronary Angiogram
Your care team gives you specific instructions to prepare for a coronary angiogram. It's important to share a list of all medications you take regularly, including over-the-counter medicines and supplements. Your provider may instruct you to stop taking certain medicines, such as anticoagulants or diuretics, for a brief period before the test. You will likely need to stop eating or drinking around midnight on the day of the angiogram.
What to Expect During an Angiogram
Most coronary angiograms are done in a specialized facility called a cath lab, which is equipped for cardiac catheterization procedures. You receive anesthesia to keep you comfortable and calm. You are attached to monitors that track your heart rate, blood pressure and oxygen levels throughout the procedure. An interventional cardiologist, interventional echocardiographer and an anesthesia specialist work together to perform the test.
During a coronary angiogram, an interventional cardiologist:
- Makes a small incision in your groin, wrist, arm or neck and places a hollow, plastic tube (sheath) into a blood vessel
- Inserts a catheter through the sheath and guides it to your heart
- Injects contrast dye through the catheter
- Watches the dye move through your blood vessels with the assistance of X-ray imaging
During the procedure, an X-ray machine moves around you (fluoroscopy) so the interventional cardiologist has a real-time view of where the catheter and contrast dye is moving in your body. Depending on what your cardiologist sees on the angiogram, they may perform a catheter procedure to open a blocked blood vessel, such as angioplasty and stenting.
A coronary angiogram usually lasts around one hour, although it may take longer if your care team combines an angiogram with other catheterization procedures. For example, you may have a coronary angiogram during a procedure to open a blocked artery, widen a narrowed heart valve or replace a damaged heart valve.
Coronary Angiogram Recovery
You stay in a recovery room for a few hours after a coronary angiogram. You may need to lie flat for several hours to prevent bleeding at the catheter insertion site.
Some people return home the same day. Because coronary angiograms use anesthesia, you'll need someone to drive you home. If you had other procedures along with an angiogram, you may need to stay in the hospital overnight. Most people can resume their usual activities within several days.
Benefits and Risks of an Angiography
Coronary angiograms give your provider a detailed view of your heart's blood vessels. They provide a level of information about blood flow that your provider can't see by using imaging alone. A coronary angiogram can help pinpoint blockages in your blood vessels and inform your treatment plan.
Complications of a coronary angiogram are rare. You're more likely to experience complications if you are older or have underlying conditions such as diabetes or kidney disease. Possible risks of coronary angiogram include:
Coronary Angiography: The Penn Medicine Advantage
Penn interventional cardiologists are among the nation's leaders in catheter-based procedures. When you choose our team, you benefit from:
- State-of-the-art technology: You receive coronary angiography in our state-of-the-art imaging and cardiac catheterization laboratory (cath lab). Our interventional imaging specialists are highly skilled in a range of techniques that allow us to diagnose and treat heart problems with exceptional visualization and precision.
- Extensive diagnostic testing: We use the full range of interventional techniques to evaluate the heart, including coronary angiogram. Interventional cardiologists may use catheter techniques to measure pressure in the heart, take pictures of arteries or identify if heart valves are leaking.
- Treatment for complex cases: We are a major regional referral center, taking on the most complex and severe cases. If you have high risks associated with surgery or have been turned down for open-heart surgery, our interventional cardiologists offer advanced, minimally invasive treatments.
Make an Appointment
Please call 800-789-7366 or request a callback.