Why Have a Cardiac Catheterization?

Cardiac catheterization in a child can be used to diagnose heart conditions and provide more information if known heart conditions exist. During a catheterization, cardiologists can:

• Measure blood pressure and oxygen levels in the heart and lungs
• See how well the heart pumps
• Take pictures of the heart
• View the heart’s structure
• View the heart’s electrical system

Norton Children’s Heart Institute is the leading provider of pediatric heart care in Louisville and Southern Indiana.

Norton Children’s has a network of outreach diagnostic and treatment services conveniently located throughout Kentucky and Southern Indiana.

During a Cardiac Catheterization in a Child:

• The child may need to be sedated (asleep). A specially trained pediatric cardiac anesthesiologist will administer the general anesthesia.
• The cardiologist then threads a small, long, flexible tube (catheter) through a blood vessel until it reaches the heart and major vessels around the heart.
• The cardiologist may inject X-ray dye through the catheter to help them see the structures in and around the heart more clearly. This can help them find and diagnose heart defects as well as heart function.
• The cardiologist can take pressure measurements and get blood samples from the different chambers and blood vessels around the heart. These readings give detailed information about how the heart is working.
• Sometimes, the cardiologist can find and diagnose heart conditions during the catheterization and treat them right away.
• A heart catheterization usually takes two to five hours to complete.
• Recovery time can vary from six hours to an overnight stay. You and your child should come to the hospital prepared to stay overnight.