Angiogram ????

Has anyone ever had an angiogram ? I am apparently going to have one and don't know what to expect. I have a small hole left in my heart and they might have to repair it. They want to measure the size of the hole. What is the procedure like ?

13 Comments

Glad...

by donr - 2012-11-13 01:11:01

...I helped. It is so easy to be cavalier about these things AFTER they are over. Before is a horse that has just been run through a paint spray booth!

Don

Thank you smitty

by mantarle - 2012-11-13 01:11:07

I am so scared of this procedure. I had it done when i was a baby, but i do not remember a thing. Will i be okay to go to work the next day ?

Don you just made my day.

by mantarle - 2012-11-13 01:11:07

The last quote made my day. Thank you for sharing your information and making me feel much better about what is going to happen. Your tome and words are. Appreciated more than you will ever know ! Thank you !!

Angiogram

by SMITTY - 2012-11-13 01:11:08


Hello Mantarle,

I've 17 or 18 orf them since 1982 so briefly, a catheter will be inserted through an artery in the groin or arm (Drs. choice here) that permit the dr to see what he is looking for in the heart. It may be uncomfortable not painful. My greatest pain came from the diuretic which they always gave me and my not being able to pee as soon as I really needed to.

Below is an excerpt from an article on this procedure will provide more details.

You will lie on your back on an X-ray table. Ask for a pad or blanket to make yourself comfortable. A strap, tape, or sandbags may be used to hold your body still. A lead apron may be placed under your genital and pelvic areas to protect them from X-ray exposure. A round cylinder or rectangular box that takes the pictures during fluoroscopy will be moved above you.

The place where the catheter will be inserted (in the groin or above the elbow) will be shaved and cleaned. Your doctor will numb the area with a local anesthetic. Then he or she will put a needle into the blood vessel. A guide wire will be put through the needle into the blood vessel and the needle will be removed. The catheter will be placed over the guide wire and moved into the blood vessel. The catheter then will be guided through the blood vessels until the tip is in the area to be studied. Your doctor will use the fluoroscope to watch the movement of the catheter in the blood vessels.

When the catheter is in place, the dye is injected through it. You may be asked to take a breath and hold it for several seconds. Several X-ray pictures will be taken one after another. These will be available right away for your doctor to look at. You need to lie very still so the pictures are clear. More pictures may be taken. An angiogram takes 1 to 3 hours. The catheter is taken out after the angiogram, and pressure is put on the needle site for 10 to 15 minutes to stop any bleeding. A small sandbag or clamp may be put on the site to hold pressure. A bandage is put on the site. You will be given pain medicine if you need it.

If the catheter was put in a vessel in your arm, you should not have any blood taken from that arm or your blood pressure measured in that arm for several days. You will rest in bed after the test for several hours. If the catheter was placed in the groin area, try to keep that leg straight for 8 hours. Your doctor will give you specific instructions after the test. You can use an ice pack on the needle site to relieve pain and swelling.

The place in your hands and feet where your heartbeat (peripheral pulse) can be felt may be marked with a pen. Your pulse may be checked before and after the angiogram.

How It Feels
You may feel a brief sting or pinch from the numbing medicine. Most people do not have pain when the catheter is in the blood vessel. you may feel pressure in the blood vessel as the catheter is moved. Let your doctor know if you are having pain.

You will probably feel some warmth when the dye is put in. This feeling lasts only a few seconds. For some people, the feeling of heat is strong and for others it is very mild.

After the test, you may have some tenderness and bruising at the site where the catheter was inserted.

Good luck,

Smitty

Let's keeep it simple:

by donr - 2012-11-13 01:11:36

Google search for "Agiogram." Nice simple description at the Wikipedia article on it.

Also called a "Heart Catheterization.

Scary at first, but no big deal in the end. The concept is what gets to you - they are going to go into your one & only heart & muck around w/ skinny little tubes called catheters.

I was caught be surprise when told I needed one - told at 3 PM, hauled to another hosp via ambulance & on table by 6 PM. I'll be honest - I was terrified! It was all a strange, new procedure to me.

Turned out to be no big deal in the end. Room was colder than a grocery store meat cooler; equipment in it was intimidating. Everyone in the room to greet me was gowned up & masked like a bunch of Dark Side Wizards in Harry Potter! Saw nothing but a bunch of eyes peering out from behind the masks.

They start by giving you an IV sedation drug to put you into semi-consciousness. Twilight, I believe they called it. They have to be able to communicate w/ you while they work. The rest gets fuzzy - they inserted a catheter into the femoral artery in my leg & threading it up the system till it got into my heart. Never felt a thing. Further, don't remember a thing, either, after being wheeled into the room & greeted by the Dr who did the job. If they talked to me, I don't remember it. Came to in my recovery room a while later; ate a sandwich & went home! How's that for drama? Had a tight bandage over my femoral artery insertion point. Very little discomfort w/ it.

I would not say it is something I'd look forward to for a Sunday Afternoon entertainment session, but not a big deal - AFTER IT WAS OVER!!!!!

If you are young, in good health otherwise & not allergic to the contrast dye, the risk is low.

I would be lying if I said there was zero risk. I came out wide awake & bright-eyed & hungry. Several hours later while asleep at home I had what is called a TIA - Temporary Ischemic Attack - essentially a mini stroke. It began resolving itself after just a couple hours & by the third day was essentially gone. I ran into the cardio who did the job while in the hosp recovering from the TIA & he said that it most likely occurred because of his catheter touching the wall of my aorta while he was transitting that area. We will never know.

For a little gallows humor - I confirmed for myself that I'd had some sort of a stroke while eating breakfast at about 8 AM next morning. I was aiming my first forkfull of scrambled eggs for my mouth & wound up shoving it up my nose! So, I performed the old reliable self test - closed my eyes & tried to touch the tip of my nose w/ my index fingers. No sweat w/ my left hand - but stuck my right index finger in my eye (fortunately it was closed!). Was in the hosp ER w/i an hour - long drive!

This is an invasive intervention, & all of those type procedures involve some risks.

Tough to do, but - RELAX. The waiting for the procedure is worse than the procedure itself.

Don

Thanks Don.

by mantarle - 2012-11-13 01:11:37

Is it safe for them to do on me even if i have a pacemaker ? What if they dislodge my lead ? I am 100 percent dependant on my pacer.

One Minor Thing I Forgot

by donr - 2012-11-13 01:11:54

Make sure that whoever is handling the anesthesia part knows you have the PM & are 100% dependent. Their job is to keep you alive while the "Great Man" (or woman) does his/her thing.

They are going to say "No sweat, I know all about PM's." Make sure that they do.

The key question you need to ask them is "Will you have to disable or modify my PM's settings for this procedure?"

Since you are 100% dependent, get a copy of your settings from your cardio & take them w/ you when you go. If possible have a Mfgr's Rep present or available while you are having the procedure. Ensure that they check your settings after the job & while you are conscious & alert to assure that they are correct for you.

This is best coordinated by YOU through your Cardio.

This can so easily be screwed up that you do NOT want to assume it will be taken care of by someone else!!!!!

The best to you.

Don

No Sweat

by donr - 2012-11-13 01:11:57

They will not dislodge a lead!

BUT!!!!! Before you go in, very gently & positively remind them of your concern about it. MOF, tell everyone you meet on the way to the table about the PM & your 100% dependence. That will do two things - 1) Ease YOUR mind about it. & 2) Remind the Dr. doing the job that you have the PM & your situation. You cannot be too cautious.

Oh, you should be able to go to work the next day - BUT!!!!! There are restrictions on what you can do, based on the hole they put in your Femoral artery - if they choose to take that entry route. Ask them about that part of it.

I say again - you ARE authorized to be scared, nothing to be ashamed of. But to quote John Wayne: "Courage is being scared to death; but you saddle up & ride, anyway!" (Or words to that effect.)

Don

ICD\PPM

by ReWired - 2012-11-13 02:11:02

ICD\PPM is Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator \ Partial PaceMaker

Rewire

by mantarle - 2012-11-13 02:11:06

What is an icdppm ?

All the above is very sound......

by Tattoo Man - 2012-11-13 02:11:17

....advise. Here in the UK you can ask for a copy of the Cd-Rom / DVD. It makes really interesting viewing.

Years ago ,in 1966 there was a kind of Sci-Fi film called "The Fantastic Voyage "...starring Raquel Welsh...who would have known that in years to come the fantasy would be virtually true ?

Don is dead right about the cold room. Ask if you can wear some bed socks !

It is bound to be a worrying thing to look forward to...its not an alternative to watching Skyfall, the new Bond film, but, remind yourself the Angio is done without CGi,..special effects and stunt doubles.......You are the Star in this Production !!

Let us know how it goes....do you have a date scheduled ?

Best wishes...Tattoo Man

Tattoo man

by mantarle - 2012-11-13 02:11:42

I will definitely ask for a copy ! No scheduled date yet. I am going in on the 27th of this month to discuss it with the doctor. I will keep you all posted on how everything goes ! Thank you :)

Mine

by ReWired - 2012-11-13 02:11:43

Was awake with mine, and I felt nothing, watched the entire event on screen and it was so awesome. 2 hours in recovery to watch the incision area and they sent me home. And all I got was a ICD\PPM out of it.

You know you're wired when...

You take technology to heart.

Member Quotes

A properly implanted and adjusted pacemaker will not even be noticeable after you get over the surgery.