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What To Expect After Coronary Angiography
After coronary angiography, you'll be moved to a special care area in the hospital. You’ll be carefully watched for several hours or overnight. During this time, you'll need to limit your movement to avoid bleeding from the site where the catheter was inserted.
While you recover in the special care area, nurses will check your heart rate and blood pressure regularly. They’ll also watch for any bleeding at the catheter insertion site.
You may develop a small bruise on your arm, groin (upper thigh), or neck at the catheter insertion site. That area may feel sore or tender for about a week. Let your doctor know if you develop problems such as:
- A constant or large amount of blood at the catheter insertion site that can't be stopped with a small bandage
- Unusual pain, swelling, redness, or other signs of infection at or near the catheter insertion site
Your doctor will tell you whether you should avoid certain activities, such as heavy lifting, for a short time after the test.
Clinical trials are research studies that explore whether a medical strategy, treatment, or device is safe and effective for humans. To find clinical trials that are currently underway for Coronary Angiography, visit www.clinicaltrials.gov.
January 31, 2013
Next-generation CT scanner provides better images with minimal radiation
A new computed tomography (CT) scanner substantially reduces potentially harmful radiation while still improving overall image quality. National Institutes of Health researchers, along with engineers at Toshiba Medical Systems, worked on the scanner. An analysis of data on 107 patients undergoing heart scans found that radiation exposure was reduced by as much as 95 percent compared to the range of current machines, while the resulting images showed less blurriness, reduced graininess, and greater visibility of fine details.
The NHLBI updates Health Topics articles on a biennial cycle based on a thorough review of research findings and new literature. The articles also are updated as needed if important new research is published. The date on each Health Topics article reflects when the content was originally posted or last revised.
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