Having a catheter angiogram

A catheter angiogram is a high-quality picture of your arteries. A specialist doctor called an interventional radiologist (IR doctor) puts a plastic tube (catheter) into an artery. They inject a substance called a contrast agent into the catheter and take X-ray pictures.

Before your procedure

Before your catheter angiogram, you have a pre-assessment appointment. At this appointment, we make sure that you are well enough for the procedure.

We arrange for you to have some blood tests. The IR doctor needs to see a list of all your medicines. This includes any: 

• tablets
• inhalers
• creams
• medicines that you buy in a pharmacy or shop, such as herbal remedies

Please bring a copy of your current prescription to the pre-assessment appointment.

Sometimes, certain medicines need to be stopped before your procedure. The IR doctor or nurse explains if you should stop any medicines. You can start taking these medicines again after your catheter angiogram, but the IR doctor or nurse gives you advice about this.

If you need a hoist (piece of medical equipment to help lift or move you safely), transport or a translator, please contact the interventional radiology (IR) department.

On the day of the procedure

Here is some guidance about what to do on the day of your catheter angiogram procedure:

1 or 2 family members or friends can wait with you before and after the procedure. They cannot be with you during the catheter angiogram, but an IR doctor or nurse looks after you at all times.

Giving your permission (consent)

We want to involve you in decisions about your care and treatment. If you decide to have a catheter angiogram, we will ask you to sign a consent form. This says that you understand what is involved and agree to have the treatment.

You can read more about our consent process.

During the procedure

A catheter angiogram is a quick procedure, but the whole process takes about 40 to 60 minutes.

Our staff are there to support you. At least 2 nurses, a radiographer and an IR doctor are with you at all times.

What happens during the procedure

1. A nurse takes you into a special operating theatre called the interventional radiology (IR) catheter laboratory. This is a germ-free (sterile) environment with a large X-ray machine over the table. The X-ray machine (called a C-arm) moves around but does not touch you.
2. You need to lie flat on your back for the procedure.
3. The nurses check your blood pressure and pulse throughout the procedure, and make sure that you are comfortable.
4. We clean your groin with antiseptic solution and cover the area with a sterile towel.
5. We inject a local anaesthetic medicine. This means that you are awake for the procedure, but the area is numb and you do not feel pain.
6. When your skin is numb, the IR doctor finds the artery in your groin using an ultrasound scan. They make a tiny hole in the artery with a needle and put in a small plastic tube called a catheter. We can then move this plastic catheter painlessly through the arteries all over the body, using X-ray guidance.
7. We inject a substance called a contrast agent into the catheter. This substance shows on the X-ray monitor and allows us to see your arteries clearly.
8. We ask you to stay still or sometimes hold your breath for a few seconds while we take the X-ray pictures. This is to stop the pictures from getting blurred.
9. The IR doctor can show you the X-ray pictures (angiograms). This can help you to understand what is causing the problem in your arteries.
10. When the procedure is finished, the radiologist removes the catheter. They press firmly for at least 10 minutes to prevent bleeding from the tiny hole used to put in the catheter. Sometimes, we use a plug instead for this purpose.
11. After the procedure, you have a small dressing over the area where we put in the catheter. You do not need any stitches.