Cardiac Catheterization at Mercy Heart Center Cardiac Catheterization Cardiac catheterization is used to diagnose coronary artery, valve and heart muscle problems.
Digital equipment provides more accurate, sharper and faster imaging of blood vessels and blockages.
To begin the actual procedure, the cardiologist will prepare the groin area or arm with a Novocaine-like medication to numb the area where the catheter will enter. The doctor then makes an incision, about the size and length of a fingernail, and inserts a needle into the blood vessel in the arm or leg. A soft flexible wire is next passed into the blood vessel and then the catheter is advanced over the soft wire. Patients don't feel the wire or the catheter because blood vessels don't have pain fibers on the inside. Patients are also given a sedative to help relax during the procedure.