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Home Clinical Services Cardiac Catheterization What to Expect Frequently Asked Questions
Flower Frequently Asked Questions
There are three types of patient admission for cardiac catheterization:
  • same day admission
  • outpatient
  • inpatient
    • Same day admission and outpatient catheterization
    Will my child be able to eat or drink before the catheterization?
    Your child will not be able to eat or drink anything for at least four to six hours before the catheterization. You will receive more information about what food and fluids need to be restricted, before the procedure.
    Will my child be sedated?
    Most patients are sedated a half hour before going into the catheterization lab to help them relax and fall asleep. Additional medications can be given during the procedure to keep your child comfortable.
    Will my child need an intravenous line (IV)?
    Most patients having cardiac catheterization procedures require an IV for administration of fluids and medications.
    What happens before the procedure?
    We will notify you in advance to come in for a preparatory visit, usually scheduled one or two days before the catheterization. On that day, you will register in the Cardiology Clinic on the sixth floor of the main building south at Children's Hospital Boston (6 South).

    We will perform a blood test, urine test, electrocardiogram, chest X-ray, echocardiogram and possibly a lung scan, if necessary. You will also meet with the doctor who will perform the catheterization. If the cardiologist determines that your child may require general anesthesia, during the catheterization, you will also meet with an anesthesiologist.

    Your child's medical history will be documented and a physical exam will be performed. You will be given information about restricting food and fluids before the procedure and told when to return for the catheterization.

    On the day of your child's catheterization, you will go directly to Outpatient Radiology on the second floor of the main building, and then to the Cardiology Clinic. A nurse from the cardiac catheterization lab will meet you there.

    Where do I wait while my child is having the catheterization?
    Parents or guardians may wait in the Catheterization Lab waiting area located on the sixth floor of the main hospital building south (6 South) during the procedure. Your child's doctor or nurse will update you during the procedure. The doctor will inform you of your child's results, when the catheterization has been completed.
    Where will my child go after the catheterization?
    Following the procedure, your child will go to the recovery room located next to the Catheterization Lab. From the recovery room, your child will either be discharged (outpatient catheterization) or admitted to the inpatient cardiology unit (same day admission) for overnight observation.
    Inpatient cardiac catheterization
    You or your child will be admitted to the cardiology inpatient unit usually the day before the catheterization.
    Will my child be sedated?
    Most patients are sedated a half hour before going into the catheterization lab to help them relax and fall asleep. Additional medications can be given during the procedure to keep your child comfortable.
    What happens before the procedure?
    The admission process can take up to four hours, so please plan accordingly. You may want to bring extra formula and snacks for toddlers.

    A member of the Cardiovascular Program will contact you to schedule the date for your child's admission. When you arrive at the hospital, go directly to Admitting. Preparatory testing, before a catheterization procedure, includes:

    • a bood test
    • a urine test
    • a chest X-ray
    • an electrocardiogram
    • and possibly a lung scan.
    When you get to your room, your child will be examined and a thorough medical history will be taken. You will also be asked to read, review, and sign written consent authorizing the procedure to be performed. If your child is scheduled for an interventional catheterization, you will be asked to sign a consent form for the use of anesthesia.

    The staff will provide information for you and your child about the catheterization. If possible, you and your child will be able to visit the cardiac catheterization laboratory before the procedure takes place.

    Where can I wait during my child's catheterization?
    You may accompany your child with the nurse to the catheterization lab. While the procedure is taking place, we suggest that you wait in your child's room, so that you can receive updates about your child's procedure and so that our medical team has access to you, in the event that they should need you.
    Where will my child go after the catheterization?
    When the procedure is finished, most children will be returned to their room. If, for some reason, your child needs to be monitored more closely, he or she may first go to the catheterization recovery room, or in some cases, to the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (8 South).

    Vital signs are frequently monitored along with the dressing (bandage) that is paced over the catheterization site. Pulses in the feet are checked as well.

    Once awake, your child may drink small amounts of clear liquids. Please check with the nurse before giving your child anything to drink. Your child must lie flat in bed for six hours after the procedure to prevent bleeding from the catheterization site. After six hours, a blood count will be rechecked.

    When will I receive the results of the catheterization?
    Soon after your child returns from the catheterization lab, a doctor will explain the preliminary test results. Later, you will have the opportunity to talk to your cardiologist and review the details of the catheterization and plans for your child's further treatment.
    More about cardiac catheterizations...
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