Heart Attack, Angiography, Heart Block, Post Procedure Complications, Angioplasty

Posted on Fri, 18 May 2012

Question: Hi, may I answer your health queries right now ? Please type your query here...
I am an RN, currently working in hospice, my sister had a heart attack a week ago and is having a heart XXXXXXX tomorrow, I can't be there at the time. I have been there most of last week, I want basic questions for her 20 year old daughter to ask the daughter after the heart XXXXXXX what are some basic questions that I can have her ask after about what the results were and what was done? Her history is bilateral AVN, AFIB, COPD, and a PE this hospitalization

Answered by Dr. Dr.Raju.A.T (2 hours later)

Hi XXXXXXX

Thanks for your query,

Angiography/Cardiac Catheterization/Heart XXXXXXX is a procedure used to visualize the inside, or lumen, of blood vessels specially ones supplying the heart muscles and also visualize the heart chambers. This is done by injecting a radio-opaque contrast agent into the blood vessel and imaging using X-ray based techniques such as fluoroscopy.

Since she had a heart attack which could be due to block in one of the vessels supplying the heart muscle,the XXXXXXX test will be helpful to determine the vessels involved and the percentage of block in the same.

Some of the important points you have to ask to have an enquiry over the test are

1) Are the vessels ( supplying the heart muscle ) blocked ?

2) How many and the percentage of block in each ?

3) Possible cause of the block, thrombus , emboli or Atheroma( fat plaques) ?

4)Were there any post procedure complications ?

5)Any ideas on treatment plan ?Whether invasive (angioplasty/surgery ) or medication ?

Hope I have answered your query. If you have any follow up queries I will be available to answer them.

Note: For further follow-up it is advisable to consult an emergency medicine specialist. Click here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar