I have a relative that was required to have a Cardiac Catheterization yesterday.  She has had trouble breathing for the past two months.  As a result, she was placed on oxygen bottles until they could come up with a solution to her breathing problems.  A Cardiac Catheterization (CC) is the insertion of a catheter into a chamber or vessel of the heart.  The CC is used for diagnostic and treatment purposes.  If they found a minor blockage that would have simply required a stent, it would have been done at this time also.  The CC procedure is not without risks.  My relative was told that there is the risk of a stroke or heart attack during the procedure.  The possibility of heart attack or stroke is rare during this procedure as she was informed by her doctor. 

Unfortunately, as my relative showed up for the CC procedure, she was told she was going to have to lay down, on a flat metal table, for a period of up to three hours, laying completely still.  That was not possible for my relative.  She was in a bad car accident ten years ago.  She still suffers from severe back, leg and pelvis pain, particularly the latter.  She is simply unable to lay on a flat surface for any period of time without severe sciatic pain in her left leg.  The pain takes her breath away.  So, at this point, it is unknown what she is going to do in order to have the CC procedure.  She desperately needs it in order to determine if it is her heart that has a blockage causing her breathing problems.  I will do an update on this once a determination is made as to what the doctors will do so she can complete the CC procedure.