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Cardiac catheterization - Risks

Alternative Names

Catheterization - cardiac; Heart catheterization

What the risks are:

Cardiac catheterization carries a slightly higher risk than other heart tests, but is very safe when performed by an experienced team.

Generally, the risks include the following:

Cardiac arrhythmias
Cardiac tamponade
Heart attack
Hemorrhage
Low blood pressure
Reaction to the contrast medium
Stroke
Trauma to the artery caused by hematoma

Possible complications of any type of catheterization include the following:

A risk of bleeding, infection, and pain at the IV site.
A very small risk that the soft plastic catheters could actually damage the blood vessels.
Blood clots could form on the catheters and later block blood vessels elsewhere in the body.
The contrast material could damage the kidneys (particularly in patients with diabetes).

Special considerations:

Cardiac catheterization may include coronary angiography.

Cardiac catheterization

Reviewed last on: 9/3/2008
Larry A. Weinrauch, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Cardiovascular Disease and Clinical Outcomes Research, Watertown, MA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

Davidson CJ, Bonow RO. Cardiac Catheterization. In: Libby P, Bonow RO, Mann DL, Zipes DP, eds. Braunwald's Heart Disease: A Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine. 8th ed. Philadelphia, Pa; Saunders Elsevier; 2007: chap 19.

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