Angiogram Testing for Coronary Artery Disease

An angiogram is an invasive procedure done to find the blockages in the coronary arteries.

Speaking From Experience: This test been done on me five times over the past eighteen months. I have become an expert, albeit from a patient's perspective.

The Purpose of an Angiogram

Our arteries must remain open at all times. The blood must flow through the entire circulatory system, providing oxygen to all our muscles and cells.

If there are blockages in the coronary arteries caused by heart disease, the heart begins to be starved for oxygen, causing severe angina pains, if a total blockage occurs it causes a heart attack, and everlasting heart damage.

Preparing for the Angiogram

A half hour prior to the angiogram the patient is given heparin intravenously, to thin the blood making sure the blood does not clot. Benadryl is also given to make sure that there aren't any allergic reactions.

The patient is then put on a bed that has video monitors on one side of it and an X-ray camera above it. The patient is asked to be still and not to move throughout the entire procedure. The groin area is cleansed and shaved, electrodes are put on to measure the EKG waves, and a blue plastic sheet is put on to cover the body.

The local area of the groin, is numbed using anesthesia, it is inserted by using a needle, which just feels like several small pricks in the groin area. Within a very short while the area begins to feel numb.

The Procedure

The procedure which usually lasts around a half hour, is then performed by inserting a catheter, which is a long thin flexible tool into an artery, usually in the groin, that is then guided into the opening of the coronary arteries.

Radioactive iodine is then pumped through the catheter, into the coronary arteries. As the iodine flows into the coronary arteries the X-ray takes a video which is displayed on the screens.

The screen then displays the areas that are blocked, and what parts of the heart aren't receiving sufficient blood flow. The size of the blockages and the percentages of the narrowing of the arteries, are then measured.

If Blockages Are Found

If a blockage is found during the angiogram then an angioplasty has to be done to either balloon the artery to reopen it, or to insert a stent to make sure the artery remains open.

If the blockages are very severe, or they are located in areas into which stents cannot be put in, a coronary bypass surgery may have to be performed.

Is It Painful?

The actual angiogram isn't painful since the area of the entry is numbed with anesthesia. The painful part, at least in my experience, is after the procedure.

A clamp is put on the site of the entry, to stop the bleeding. The clamp must be extremely tight and firm in order to stop the blood flow into the leg. This part is painful. Fortunately it only lasts around 15 minutes, with the pressure being released gradually.

Recovering From the Procedure

After the angiogram, the leg cannot be moved for two hours. Moving the leg may reopen the punctured area, and can cause the bleeding to recur. To avoid this, patients are requested to lie still without moving the leg or sitting up during this period.

After two hours, the patient is requested to sit on the bed with the legs hanging over the edge for a while. This is done so that the blood flow circulates into the extremities of the leg. For the entire duration of lying in bed the leg feels like it’s asleep, now it begins to wake up.

After six hours, the patient can begin walking around slowly, and can then be released from the hospital.

The Next Few Days

The groin area remains sore for several days after the procedure, for two weeks afterwards the area feels like it has been touched. Prior to leaving the hospital the patient is instructed, not to shower that day and to make sure that if the area of the puncture gets infected or the bleeding restarts, they should call their doctors immediately, and go to the emergency room.

The Benefit of Being Tested

An angiogram is usually performed after the cardiologist has determined through other non-invasive tests such as the nuclear stress test, the EKG, that this test is necessary.

When it is done, it is the best test available to determine the severity and the amounts of blockages that are causing the angina pains. It provides a clear picture of the current status of the coronary arteries.

How can we avoid ever having to be tested?

We can avoid the need to be tested, by taking the necessary precautions to avoid heart disease in the first place.

This can be done through, losing weight, proper nutrition, exercising, reducing our blood pressure, and lowering our bad lower cholesterol levels.

Why wait till it’s too late, begin living a healthy active lifestyle now. Back to top Angiogram

Disclaimer: The information that I am writing on these pages are for educational purposes only, and are intended to inspire us to learn more about heart disease. By doing so we can learn how to eliminate the leading cause of death, and create a better life for us and our children. I am only a heart patient, in no way should what I am writing, replace any medical advice given to you by your doctors.