Right Heart Catheterization

To assist your cardiologist in diagnosis and management of your heart condition, a right heart catheterization may need to be performed.

The physician may order lab work, an ECG, and a chest x-ray before your procedure. Except for medications, you should have nothing to eat or drink 6 hours before the procedure. Your doctor or nurse will be available to answer questions before you sign the consent form.

You will be taken by cart to the cardiac catheterization laboratory where the cardiologist and a team of skilled nurses and technicians will perform the procedure.

Once in the catheterization lab, an IV will be started if not already done on the floor. Your ECG and blood pressure will be monitored continuously while in the catheterization lab.

After a numbing medication is used, the physician will insert a flexible plastic tube called a sheath into a vein in your neck or groin. Through this sheath, a catheter called a pulmonary artery catheter will be guided into the right side of the heart. Pressures inside the heart will be measured and will provide your doctor with valuable information. The pulmonary artery catheter and the sheath are then removed.

After the procedure, you will be transported back to your hospital room where you will be on bedrest for approximately four hours. During this time, the nurses will monitor your vital signs frequently.

Please contact your physician or nurse with any questions or concerns.