Pediatric Cardiac Angiography

A pediatric cardiac angiography is a diagnostic procedure used to evaluate the functioning and structure of the heart, large vessels of the chest and the coronary arteries in a child. Before stepping on the procedure, the doctor will ask various questions to the child’s parents to understand whether it can be performed safely in the child. The doctor will suggest the parents, not to give caffeine to the child for 12 hours before the procedure. No solid food items are allowed before the procedure. If the child requires any sedation during the procedure, the doctor may give additional instructions to be followed.
The procedure starts with injecting a dye/contrast into the child’s vein. It is done through an intravenous line. After that, the heart monitoring leads will be placed on the chest. If required, the child will be given an anesthesia or sedation. Apart from heart rate, oxygen level and blood pressure will also be monitored through the scan. Throughout the procedure, the doctor nurse and technologist will assist the doctor to complete the procedure.
After the procedure is done, the nurse may keep on checking for blood pressure and oxygen level occasionally for the next one hour. If there are no other complications, you will be able to discharge on the day itself. There are no restrictions for resuming normal activities and diet after the test.