Angiogram risks benefits
Common Questions and Answers about Angiogram risks benefits
angiogram
Sometimes, with medications, we have to weigh the benefits of you taking the medication against the risks that it may cause for your baby. Sometimes the benefits outweigh the risks and sometimes the risks outweigh the benefits. Only you, your ob/gyn and your psychiatrist can decide this. I think that you should sit down with your doctors and go through the medication list and decide together what is appropriate for you.
You could ask for a ct angiogram if you are worried, which is basically a non invasive scan.
However, to answer your questions, the angiogram is very safe as far as invasive procedures go. The biggest risks are stroke and heart attack, but for this to happen the cardiologist would basically have to disturb a chunk of blockage material in the arteries with his catheter wire.
It isn't really about odds, are you the likely or unlikely odd?
You can't get much less invasive than an Angiogram. Just a tiny incision in the groin
area as opposed to having your sternum seperated and the rib cage pulled apart.
Risks with Angiograms are miniscule. If they find something life threatening they can
treat it at the same time. What is it that puts you off Angio technology in particular?
Personally I think its the best thing since the invention of the wheel.
You better check with your doctors, I am not sure about the potential damage due to the radiation dose that you will take during the procedure.
Also if they discover blockages in your coronaries, I do not know about the risk of the medication that you will need.
Medication is always best if the heart situation is not life threatening. An angiogram at the age of 70, can have more risks than for someone who is younger. Sometimes the arteries become thin or weak, which increases the risk of an artery tearing during an angiogram. Does he have diabetes? If so, this would increase his risk. His LVEF is great! Left main artery is normal, which is the most important artery.
To what extent would an angiogram be capable of picking up coronary atherosclerosis that would tend to go unnoticed by a nuclear stress test? Would an angiogram offer greater risks than a stress test? How great would that additional risk tend to be?
This discussion is related to <a href='http://www.medhelp.org/posts/show/254861'>Stress test accuracy</a>.
Hi, I wanted to find out how much radiation is involved in a traditional angiogram. I've had multiple nuclear tests done in the last 10 years with two nuclear stress tests within the last three. I continue to get chest pain in heat and with exertion and am convinced that I should push my doctors for a traditional angio. Wanted to find out how much radiation dosage is involved in that.
What are the risks involved in getting that test? I'm a 40 year old female.
I scheduled it and went to speak with the doctor beforehand about it, because it is a considerable amount of radiation exposure. in the end, i chose not to do the test because the risks outweighed the benefits for me. I also spoke to a radiologist about the exposures I have had thus far and talked about my risks due to the exposure. It is not an exact science, the amount of exposure that effects one person negatively, may not impact another person at all.
I am quite freaked out. So I am scheduled for an angiogram on Feb 5th. They tell me there are risks in this test. The risk is 1 in 1000 people die, stroke or have a heart attack during this proceedure. My question is this, Should I get a 64-slice Coronary CT Angiograph​y? This machine has no risk and will give them the same answers. This test is not covered by our health care insurance. It will cost me $1300. I am not opposed to paying that extra money to eliminate risk. What are your opinions?
hello,
my mom is 72 years old, she is type2 diabetic, hyper tensive and have ischemic heart disease, she has been adviced to go through angiogram and shunting after that. how safte it is for her,with her health background? will she survive after that, is it a dangerous procedure?
I had an angiogram 5 days ago, the first two days I couldn't move my leg too much, the 3rd day I was much better, 4th and 5th day (today) I have quite a bit of pain in the groin area, all around the site of the angiogram, quite a bit of bruising which I was expecting, but I don't know if this is normal or if I should go see a Dr.?
The pain is not there all the time only with movement, ie. walking or standing even, if I just lay down it is not painful.
I wouldn't be so quick to jump to angiogram with no symptoms at max. There are risks with the procedure, and not just from the radiation exposure. Now having symptoms during the test is another matter. These things also cost money, which is an issue for many.
They are now scheduling a cardiac cath after 2 abnormal stress tests and bloodwork. I would LOVE to know the risks and long term affects of the Cath and the Nytroglycerine.
Hi,
I apologize for the length of this post.
A summary of my tests: I went in for a physical and my EKG was abnormal. I then had an echo done and it was discovered that I had mitral valve prolapse, but normal blood flow. A stress test was ordered (abnormal) and then a nuclear stress was ordered (also abnormal) and there was evidence of a "mild to moderate" blockage. My doctor recommended that I have an angiogram done.
Here's what I'm struggling with.
So, again an echo can do this, or an angiogram. 64 slice + echo are the safest procedures. Angiogram is invasive so carries risks, such as bleeding, maybe the need for a transfusion. If the catheter wire penetrates a vessel wall, you could be sent for immediate surgery. A piece of plaque could be dislodged, causing stroke or heart attack or death. The risk is still low, but you have to sign a consent form for these possibilities.
I had my pre-op appointment today in preparation for the angiogram that I'm having this coming Friday and I was told to start taking baby aspirin from now until Friday as if they have to put in stents they wouldn't do them unless I've been taking baby aspirin, does this make sense? What I was told is that apparently if you take baby aspirin your body will be prepared for the stents and not reject them? Not sure about this, if anyone has any other info please let me know.
I believe that the amount of radiation exposure is much higher with ct over a standard angiogram. Everyone talks about risks, but if you want clear results, an angiogram is the best option. If your CT shows a blockage, you will have to go for an angiogram anyway. The risks are very small indeed with an angiogram.
I HAVE AN UNRUPTURED 5 MM BRAIN ANEURYSM WHICH APPEARED FOLLOWING A ROUTINE MRA SCAN
FOLLOWING OPEN HEAD BRAIN SURGERY TO REMOVE A NON CANCEROUS TUMOUR ABOUT 3 YEARS AGO THE LAST SCAN 15 MONTHS SHOWED NOTHING - MY NEUROSURGEON WANTS ME TO HAVE A DIGITAL SUBTRACTION ANGIOGRAM TO CARRY OUT A MORE DETAILED EVALUATION. HOW DANGEROUS IS THIS TYPE OF SCAN. I KNOW IT HAS IN RISKS IN RELATION TO STROKES ETC., I AM 63 YEARS OF AGE.
I'm not a cardiologist but I'm a RN on a cardiac floor. I've never heard of shocking making the heart weaker, and if your EF is down to 25% then you're at a high risk of having deadly arrhythmias. The defibrillator will stop that by reseting the electrical signal but it shouldn't harm the actual heart muscle anymore than it already is. From what I've seen defibs benefits outweigh the risks involved with a weakened heart.
nuclear scans are very different and show the area of oxygen deficit, not the artery causing the problem. They are nice glowing images showing the level of oxygen.
example...
http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://www.cedars-sinai.edu/Patients/Programs-and-Services/Heart-Institute/Research-and-Outcomes/Cardiac-Imaging-Research-Team-CIRT/Images/nuclear-scan-12141.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.cedars-sinai.
s the same with an Angiogram, you could die, but this is highly unlikely to happen. The risks are just too small to worry about it. Even if something did go wrong, there is a team of experts in the cath lab with you, ready to deal with any circumstance. For example, I had 5 stents in one procedure and the blockage involved was a solid mass of calcium. The catheter slipped and went through the artery wall, causing me to bleed internally.
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