Cardiac catheterization is commonly used both as a diagnostic tool and to treat cardiovascular diseases and conditions. The procedure allows your cardiologist to see and gain access to structures within your heart, making treatment easier and quicker, producing a better outcome. Dr. Manish Patel at Precision Cardiac & Vascular Care in DeSoto and Mansfield, TX, offers cardiac catheterization and can tell you how it can help you.

During the catheterization procedure, a long, ultra-thin tube, the catheter, is placed in a vein or artery in your arm, neck, or groin. The catheter is then guided up through your blood vessels and into your heart. Typically you will be given medications to help you relax, but you will be awake for the procedure. This allows for faster recovery, less downtime, and a low risk of problems.

Cardiac catheterization lets your cardiologist:

• Check how efficiently your heart is pumping blood
• Diagnose any congenital or structural heart defects
• Take samples of abnormal tissue for later biopsy
• Find any blockages in your arteries or blood vessels
• Measure oxygen and pressure in your heart

In addition to diagnosis, cardiac catheterization plays a vital role in treating heart disease with the following procedures:

• Angioplasty, to help widen arteries that are narrowed due to disease
• Stent placement, to help keep a blocked artery open
• Closing holes and other structural defects in your heart
• Repairing or replacing compromised or leaking heart valves
• Balloon valvuloplasty, using a balloon to widen narrowed valves
• Ablation, to treat abnormalities in heart rhythm

For more detailed information about cardiac catheterization, please visit the Cardiac Catheterization page in the Patient Education section on the Precision Cardiac & Vascular Care website at  /precision/cardiac-catheterization.html

Cardiac catheterization is a vital tool in diagnosing and treating heart disease. To find out more about how cardiac catheterization can help you, call Dr. Patel at Precision Cardiac & Vascular Care in DeSoto and Mansfield, TX, at (214) 884-7525. Call today!