Heart Catheterization
University Hospital is a certified heart cath lab by the American College of Cardiology. We have the newest and largest cardiac catheterization laboratory in San Antonio.
A heart catheterization, also called a cardiac catheterization, coronary angiogram or heart cath, is a heart procedure used to conduct diagnostic tests and determine how well your heart is working. Your doctor will insert a thin, hollow tube called a catheter into a large artery, typically in your groin, and guide it up to your heart. This is a minimally invasive, low-risk procedure, and serious complications are rare.
Heart Disease Testing in San Antonio
If your doctor needs to do an angiogram, the catheter can inject special dye into your heart or blood vessels. This dye is visible on X-rays as it flows through your coronary arteries. These X-ray images reveal where your blood vessels may be narrowed or blocked.
Your doctor can also use a heart catheterization to:
- Measure pressure and oxygen in the heart
- Evaluate the heart’s pumping function
- Take heart biopsies
Treating a Known Heart Problem
Your doctor may use a heart catheterization during procedures to treat a diagnosed problem with your heart. These procedures can include:
- Placing a stent to open a blocked artery
- Replacing a heart valve
- Treating irregular heart rhythms
- Closing off part of the heart to prevent blood clots
Shockwave Intravascular Lithotripsy (IVL)
University Hospital now offers a new, innovative therapy for the treatment of advanced heart disease.
This new technology, intravascular lithotripsy or IVL, allows our physicians to safely break up calcium – using sonic pressure waves – to expand the artery. Your doctor will restore blood flow using a stent to avoid unnecessary complications.
