cardiac catheterization

cardiac catheterization

▪ medical procedure
 medical procedure by which a flexible plastic tube (catheter (catheterization)) is inserted into an artery or vein. It is used for injecting drugs for therapy or diagnosis, for measuring blood flow and pressure in the heart and central blood vessels, in performing procedures such as angiography (X-ray examination of the arteries and veins) and angioplasty (a procedure used to dilate obstructed arteries), and as a means of passing electrodes into the heart to study, restore, or regulate the heartbeat. Catheterization is central to the diagnosis, therapy, and surgical management of many forms of cardiovascular disease.

      The term cardiac catheterization was coined in 1844 by French physiologist Claude Bernard (Bernard, Claude), who inserted a glass catheter into the heart of a horse. The procedure was first performed in a human by German physician Werner Forssmann (Forssmann, Werner), who in 1929 opened a vein in his own arm, inserted a urethral catheter about 3.2 mm (0.125 inch) in diameter and 76 cm (2.5 feet) long, and passed it to the right side of his heart while photographing his accomplishment with an X-ray machine. In the United States, physiologists André Cournand (Cournand, André F.) and Dickinson Richards (Richards, Dickinson Woodruff) developed clinical applications of Forssmann's technique, and in 1956 the three shared a Nobel Prize for their achievements.

      Catheter materials and construction are now very sophisticated, permitting an enormous range of diagnostic and therapeutic techniques to be applied to almost every organ and blood vessel in the body—but especially to the heart. By the 1940s catheters were placed safely in the right chambers of the heart through veins, and by the 1950s they were placed in the left chambers through arteries. As these techniques were developed, it became possible to monitor blood pressure and flow in medical and surgical intensive-care units. Through the ability to place one or more catheters inside the heart chambers, all types of heart abnormalities were opened to study. Injection of iodine contrast medium into veins or directly into the heart chambers (angiography) made it possible to distinguish and surgically correct many congenital heart abnormalities, to replace or repair damaged heart valves and blood vessels, and even to replace the heart completely through transplantation. Special catheterization techniques now permit a cardiologist to study the function and pathology of arterial walls. One notable technique is intravascular ultrasound, in which a tiny ultrasound transducer mounted on the tip of a cardiac catheter is used to generate images of the interior walls of coronary arteries.

William L. Winters
 

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Cardiac catheterization — (heart cath) is the insertion of a catheter into a chamber or vessel of the heart. This is done for both investigational and interventional purposes. Coronary catheterization is a subset of this technique, involving the catheterization of the… …   Wikipedia

  • cardiac catheterization — passage of a small catheter through a vein in an arm or leg or the neck and into the heart, permitting the securing of blood samples, determination of intracardiac pressure, detection of cardiac anomalies, planning of operative approaches, and… …   Medical dictionary

  • Cardiac ventriculography — is a medical imaging test used to determine a patient s cardiac function in the right, or more typically, left ventricle. Cardiac ventriculography involves injecting contrast media into the heart s ventricle(s) to measure the volume of blood… …   Wikipedia

  • Cardiac surgery — Intervention Two cardiac surgeons performing a cardiac surgery known as coronary artery bypass surgery. Note the use of a steel retractor to forcefully maintain the exposure of the patient s heart …   Wikipedia

  • Cardiac stress test — Not to be confused with Cardiac arrest. Cardiac stress test Intervention A male patient walks on a stress test treadmill to have his heart s function checked ICD 9 CM …   Wikipedia

  • catheterization — Passage of a catheter. clean intermittent bladder c. (CIC) a common way for patients with neurogenic bladders that do not empty normally to empty their bladders on a routine schedule. * * * cath·e·ter·iza·tion or Brit cath·e·ter·isa·tion .kath ət …   Medical dictionary

  • catheterization — n. the introduction of a catheter into a hollow organ or vessel. In urethral catheterization a catheter is introduced into the bladder to relieve obstruction to the outflow of urine (see also intermittent self catheterization). Catheters can also …   The new mediacal dictionary

  • Cardiac output — (Q or or CO ) is the volume of blood being pumped by the heart, in particular by a left or right ventricle in the time interval of one minute. CO may be measured in many ways, for example dm3/min (1 dm3 equals 1000 cm3 or 1 litre). Q is… …   Wikipedia

  • catheterization — See catheterize. * * * Threading of a flexible tube (catheter) through a channel in the body to inject drugs or a contrast medium, measure and record flow and pressures, inspect structures, take samples, diagnose disorders, or clear blockages. A… …   Universalium

  • Coronary catheterization — A coronary angiogram (an X ray with radiocontrast in the coronary arteries) that shows the left coronary circulation. The distal left main coronary artery (LMCA) is in the left upper quadrant of the image. Its main branches (also visible) are the …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”