You don’t need to be afraid of getting Angiography

Dr.Ashish Agarwal, 3 mins read

It may end up saving your life...

Cardiac hospitals in Delhi, and India, this year alone could be treating upwards of 4.7 million Indians. The burden of cardiac disease is significant on our health systems, and early intervention always helps us treat you better with significantly higher chances of success and recovery, so if you are seeking the best cardiac treatment in Dwarka, where our hospital for heart treatment is located; call us and we’ll have the best heart doctors in Dwarka. In case you have Coronary artery disease, this article will help you understand how Coronary Angiography can be of benefit to you, and what you may want to factor in before making a decision.

First, you should always have a say in any decision related to your health or you could follow your doctor’s advice. Either way, this information will better your understanding on what your choices are.

You have two options here, have an Angiography to help decide how best to treat your coronary artery disease or not have an Angiography.

What you should remember

An angiography will tell us if your coronary arteries are narrowed in, where they are narrowed, and to what degree have they narrowed. It can also help us see if any change in treatment like medicines, angioplasty or coronary bypass surgery could improve your angina or reduce your risk of having a heart attack.

Angiography will not be able to predict if the narrowed places in your arteries will eventually lead to a heart attack.

However, during the test, if your doctor sees that the arteries are really narrowed, you could have to go in for angioplasty or bypass surgery. So, before you go for the test, it's a good idea to talk at length and with complete ease with your doctor about these treatments.

How it works 

An Angiography is an imaging test that uses X-rays to see the body’s blood vessels. The X-rays that are rendered by an angiography are called angiograms. This test is used for studying narrow, blocked, enlarged, or malformed arteries in many parts of the body, including the brain, heart, abdomen, and legs.

A coronary angiogram is an X-ray of the arteries in the heart which shows how serious and how far advanced coronary heart disease is, and will help you better understand the treatment options.

What happens during coronary angiography?

To produce the X-ray images, a doctor will inject a liquid dye through a catheter, which the doctor threads into the desired artery from an access point. The access point is mostly in the arm but sometimes can be in the groin.

The dye replaces blood flowing inside the blood vessels and is visible on an X-ray and will show narrowed or blocked areas in them. The dye is usually harmless and later removed from your body through the kidneys and urine.

How long does an angiography take?

You can normally expect the test to be 15 minutes, but it can sometimes take longer. During the procedure, you’ll be constantly monitored by a heart monitor that will record your heart rate and rhythm. If you feel uneasy or experience discomfort at any time, tell a staff member or Doctor.

After the test, you may be required to stay in hospital for a few hours or overnight.

Before getting discharged, our nurses will teach you how to check the site for bleeding and explain what you have to do if this does happen.

So, remember these points and of course, get the best cardiologists onboard to give yourself the best advice and treatment.

Also, Read: Is Heart Disease More Prevalent in Young People