Coronary angiography is a commonly used and effective method for diagnosing coronary atherosclerotic heart disease (coronary heart disease). It is also a relatively safe and reliable invasive diagnostic technology. It is now widely used in clinical practice and is an important tool for diagnosing coronary heart disease. The "gold standard" of .
What is coronary angiography?
Coronary arteries are important large blood vessels that supply blood to the heart. The coronary arteries are like the trunk of a big tree, and the other branch blood vessels are like branches of different thicknesses. The blood from the heart passes through the coronary arteries to the branch blood vessels, and finally supplies to each cardiac muscle cell. Coronary angiography is to see clearly the branches of this big tree.
Coronary angiography is a method of percutaneously puncturing the radial artery or femoral artery, and sending the contrast catheter to the coronary arteries under X-ray for contrast to fully develop the left and right coronary arteries to check the condition of the coronary arteries method.
Who should undergo coronary angiography
1. Patients with a history of chest pain but atypical pain symptoms;
2. Patients who have been diagnosed with coronary heart disease, in order to further understand the coronary artery lesions;
3. Patients with myocardial infarction;
4. Patients with positive exercise test;
5. The electrocardiogram shows ischemia. and patients with pathological changes;
6. Review of patients with coronary heart disease after coronary angiography intervention;
7. Patients with angina pectoris;
8. Patients with valvular heart disease combined with coronary heart disease;
9. Patients with congenital coronary artery anomalies;
10. Unexplained cardiac insufficiency, cardiac enlargement, patients with arrhythmia;
11. Health examinations for people engaged in special occupations (such as pilots, etc.).
Will coronary angiography be painful?
Local anesthesia will be used for the examination. Except for a slight pain during the puncture (similar to an infusion needle), there is basically no pain. Because there are no nerve endings in the blood vessel cavity, the patient cannot feel the catheter passing through the blood vessel during the operation. If everything goes well, it can be completed in ten minutes. The patient remains awake during the entire operation and can communicate with the medical staff if he or she has any discomfort or complaints.
The process of coronary angiography
The surgical puncture site is the radial artery (wrist) or femoral artery (thigh root). The puncture incision is about the size of the center of a ballpoint pen. The radial artery route is usually used. The postoperative recovery time is short, such as severe upper limb arteries. The femoral approach is used in cases of tortuosity, vasospasm, or emergencies. After the femoral artery approach, you are required to lie down for 24 hours.
After the puncture is successful, a flexible tube will be inserted into the punctured vessel (removed after surgery). The angiographic guidewire and catheter will be sent to the heart through this flexible tube. The blood vessels themselves are not visualized, so coronary angiography requires the injection of contrast agent. Under X-ray irradiation, the structure of the coronary arteries can be clearly seen on the screen, including the presence of infarction and other vascular lesions.
Precautions after inspection
After the examination, it is necessary to compress the opening of the blood vessel to stop bleeding. Usually, the radial artery is compressed for 4-6 hours. After the operation, the pressure will be intermittently decompressed until the hemostatic pressor is removed. The wrist joint on the surgical side should be avoided from bending, including , elbow joint, and shoulder joint. If you are active, you should drink plenty of water after surgery to promote the excretion of contrast agent.
Expert introduction
Li Shunhui
Master's tutor
Chief physician
Director of the First Department of Cardiology
Expert profile:
Member of the first committee of the Heart Failure Professional Committee of the National Cardiovascular Disease Expert Committee, Vice Chairman of Jiangxi Interventional Cardiology Society, Deputy Director of the Coronary Heart Disease Diagnosis and Treatment Professional Committee of Jiangxi Interventional Cardiology Society Member, Chairman of Nanchang Cardiovascular Disease Professional Committee. "Heart Health Public Welfare Action Plan" Nanchang "Public Welfare Ambassador".
Professional expertise:
Diagnosis and treatment of common, frequently-occurring and geriatric diseases of the cardiovascular system such as coronary heart disease, hypertension , heart failure , cardiomyopathy , structural heart disease, arrhythmia and other cardiovascular system diseases. Specialized in coronary intervention and structural heart disease interventional treatment.
Author: Zheng Dan, Department of Cardiology, First Hospital of Nanchang
Correspondent: Xia Shiqi Liu Zheng
Editor: Huang Mengmei Zhou Yun
Reviewer: Xie Tao
Issuing by: Wanhongxin
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