What to Expect With Angiography?

Angiography is a procedure through which the healthcare providers check the narrowing of your arteries. Through it, the healthcare providers can get an insight into whether you need a stent or not. In an angiography, X-rays, known as angiograms, are used to examine the inside of the blood vessels.

The test is used to examine the health of the arteries. It tells you about narrow, enlarged, blocked or malformed blood vessels in your body. To get an angiography done, you can visit the cardiologist in Lahore. Angiography can be done of various body parts, which are:

1. Heart
2. Brain
3. Abdomen
4. Legs

A coronary angiogram is an X-ray of the arteries of the heart. Through it, the healthcare providers can know about the health of the arteries and the extent and severity of heart disease.

What Happens During Coronary Angiography?

The healthcare providers will create an access point into your body, most commonly through the arm or groin. Through the access point, they will insert a catheter, which is used as an inlet to inject the dye. The liquid dye enables the healthcare providers to visualize a clear image of the inside of the blood vessels because it shows the blood flow showing inside the blood vessel. Through the movement of blood, the healthcare providers can know about the narrowing of arteries. Later your kidneys remove the dye.

How Long Does the Angiography Test Last?

An angiography test may take at least half an hour, or sometimes more than that. During the procedure, you will be completely awake and in your senses. However, you would not feel any such pain during the procedure. During the test, your healthcare providers will be monitoring your blood pressure, heart rate, and blood saturation levels. If you have any discomfort during the procedure, you should tell the healthcare provider about it.

After Angiography

After angiography, the healthcare providers may ask you to stay in the hospital for at least 24 hours. In the meanwhile, they will ask you to drink plenty of fluids so that the dye flushes out of your kidneys. Before you discharge, the nurse will teach you how to check for bleeding and inflammation at the site of the procedure. If the groin area use for angiography purposes, the healthcare providers will ask you to refrain from strength training and weight lifting for at least a week to prevent bleeding.

What the Risks associate with Angiography?

You should give a complete medical history to your healthcare provider so that they can know the risks and benefits of the procedure. Like all the procedures, angiography also has its own risks and benefits. But your healthcare providers will choose the option that has more benefits for you. If you have any queries related to the procedure, you can consult with your healthcare provider before it. Minor risks associated with angiography are:

• Bleeding at the skin site
• Bruising and inflammation at the skin site
• Allergy due to the dye used in the procedure

Some uncommon yet serious complications of angiography are:

• Stroke
• Damage to the artery in the groin or arm region
• Heart attack
• Damage to the kidneys due to the use of contrast dye
• Serious bleeding
• Tissue damage due to prolonged exposure to X-rays

Conclusion

Angiography is generally a safe procedure. Your healthcare providers will do it after calculating the risk versus benefit ratio. If you have any queries regarding the test or your health condition, you must discuss them with your healthcare providers before the procedure. If you need an angiography done, you can visit the cardiologist in Islamabad.

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