For most people, anything to do with medical terms, procedures, etc., can have an air of mystery in Nanuet, Clarkstown, Chestnut Ridge, Nyack, Rockland County, Spring Valley, NY, and the surrounding areas, and that unknown can lead to anxiety. Having a coronary angiogram is just one such procedure that can cause questions to arise, and our team at Cardiology of Hudson Valley is ready to help answer your top questions. Having more information will always make patients feel more comfortable and understanding what is happening with their own body. What many people do is jump to the worst scenario that they can imagine, but in most cases, that fear is unwarranted. Rather than remaining in the dark with symptoms, having a coronary angiogram will help to provide needed information for you and the cardiologist, which helps in tailoring a treatment regimen for each patient. Reach out to us today to learn more and schedule an appointment with us.
Common Questions About Coronary Angiograms
A coronary angiogram is essentially an x-ray test that uses contrast dye to check for narrowed or blocked blood vessels in the heart. One of the first questions that we often get is if the procedure is painful. Generally speaking, no, the procedure is not painful, though you may feel a small sting at the insertion site for the catheter, but that area will be numbed beforehand. Another common question is how long the procedure takes, which is between 20 and 30 minutes for the actual imaging portion of the test, and the patient will also be awake for it.
The third common question we receive is if the patient can go home the same day of the procedure. In most cases, yes, the patient will be able to go home the same day, which makes patients feel better being able to be at home. What if the doctor finds a blockage during the test, what happens then? While each case is unique, the cardiologist may elect to perform an angioplasty and possibly place a stent in the blood vessel.
What Will This Test Really Do
The purpose of the test is to determine if and where there may be narrowing blood vessels, or even blocked blood vessels. This test can also help to determine just how well the heart is pumping, and will provide important real-time data for the cardiologist to know what sort of treatments are best for each patient, and it might reveal that interventions should happen immediately because waiting any longer puts the patient at serious risk.
Having any medical procedure done in Nanuet, Clarkstown, Chestnut Ridge, Nyack, Rockland County, Spring Valley, NY, and the surrounding areas can be scary, and they typically cause questions to come up for patients. This is why it is important that you work with a cardiologist and a team that will answer your questions and help you understand why the coronary angiogram was recommended. At Cardiology of Hudson Valley, we focus on personalized treatment options based on data that is learned from these procedures. Contact us today to have your questions answered about coronary angiograms and other heart procedures.