2
• Do not eat or drink anything, including water, after midnight before your
test.
• Ask your doctor if you should take your medicines the morning of the
test. If so, take with sips of water only.
• Tell the staff if you have allergies, have asthma or are taking the
medicine Glucaphage (metformin).
During Your Procedure
• You will wear a hospital gown and lie on a table. You may wear your
hearing aids, dentures and glasses. Remove nail polish and contact
lenses.
• The lights in the room may be dim and the room may seem cool.
• You will be awake so you can tell the staff how you feel.
• An IV (intravenous) is put into a vein in your arm. Medicine to help you
relax and fluids are given through your IV.
• The catheter site, either your groin or your arm, is cleaned. Your groin
may be shaved if used.
• Small pads are put on your chest to check your heart. For men, chest hair
may need to be shaved.
• A blood pressure cuff is put on your arm. Your blood pressure and heart
rate are checked often.
• The doctor numbs the catheter site. This stings for a few seconds. After
this, you should only feel pressure and no pain.
• The catheter is put into a large blood vessel and threads it into your heart.
• It is common to feel skipped heartbeats or fluttering. Tell your doctor, but
do not be scared.
• Dye is injected. You may feel hot or flushed for a few seconds.
• X-rays are taken as the dye moves through your blood vessels. You may
be asked to hold your breath, cough, take deep breaths or move your
arms.
• If you have narrowed blood vessels, the balloon area of the catheter is
moved to the narrowed area of the blood vessel. The balloon is made
bigger and smaller a few times to open the narrowed blood vessel. You
may feel some chest pressure, but the pressure should ease quickly. Tell
the staff how you are feeling.
• A stent may be placed to keep the blood vessel open.
• Dye is given again to see how much the blood vessel has been opened.
• The catheter is then removed.