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Risks
By Mayo Clinic staffAs with most procedures done on your heart and blood vessels, cardiac catheterization has some risks. Major complications are rare, though.
Common risks of cardiac catheterization are:
- Bruising
- Infection
Rare risks include:
- Heart attack
- Stroke
- Damage to the artery where the catheter was inserted
- Irregular heart rhythms (arrhythmias)
- Allergic reactions to the dye or medication
- Tearing the tissue of your heart or artery
- Kidney damage
- Excessive bleeding
- Infection
- Blood clots
If you are either pregnant or planning to become pregnant, tell your doctor before having cardiac catheterization performed.
- Eastwood J. Nurse's role in the cardiac catheterization laboratory. In: Moser DK, et al. Cardiac Nursing: A companion to Braunwald's heart disease. Philadelphia, Pa..: Saunders Elsevier; 2007339.
- Barbara Woodward Lips Patient Education Center. About your heart-catheter procedures. Rochester, Minn.: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research; 2005.
