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Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory

Photograph of a person during cardiac catheterization

Courtesy of Intermountain Medical Imaging, Boise, Idaho. All rights reserved.

Cardiac catheterization is done in the cardiac catheterization laboratory ("cath lab") by a cardiologist.

Some of the tests and procedures that are done in a cath lab include:

  • Testing for heart disease with an angiogram.
  • Treating heart disease with angioplasty and stenting.
  • Testing for and treating heart rhythm problems.

You will lie on a flat table under a large X-ray machine. Several small metal leads (electrodes) will be attached to your legs and arms with a special paste or gel. These leads are connected to an electrocardiogram (EKG, ECG) machine that continuously records the electrical activity of your heart during the test or procedure.

By Healthwise Staff
Primary Medical Reviewer Rakesh K. Pai, MD, FACC - Cardiology, Electrophysiology
Specialist Medical Reviewer George Philippides, MD - Cardiology
Last Revised July 20, 2011

Last Revised: July 20, 2011

Author: Healthwise Staff

Medical Review: Rakesh K. Pai, MD, FACC - Cardiology, Electrophysiology & George Philippides, MD - Cardiology

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