On Tuesday, October 4th, I spent the day at The Miriam Hospital cardiac catheterization laboratory. Cardiac catheterization is an invasive On Tuesday, October 4th, I spent the day at The Miriam Hospital cardiac catheterization laboratory. Cardiac catheterization is an invasive diagnostic procedure that uses imaging equipment to identify if a patient has disease of the heart muscles, valves or coronary arteries (Smeltzer, 2011). Upon arriving at 0720 the nurse manager greeted me and the other student, and gave us a quick tour of the control area and examination room. We were informed about the safety precautions used to protect ourselves from imaging equipment and the patient 's from infection and were instructed to wear a lead apron, surgical
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All of the wires and catheter movement is done using x-ray for guidance and a radiopaque contrast agent was used to visualize the arteries (Smeltzer, 2011, p. 713). A wire was then fed through the femoral artery and where the wire was supposed to move into the iliac artery. However, after several attempts the doctor determined this method wouldn 't work for this patient. The doctor then made the decision to access the iliac artery through the brachial artery. The wire was then fed into the heart and down the descending thoracic aorta and a catheter was then put into place. Upon injection of the contrast, it was visibly noticeable that iliac artery was blocked and calcified. Collateral circulation had developed rerouting the circulation using nearby minor vessels. Once the diseased artery was located the doctor used special equipment that injected water into the vessels and "chiseled" away at the calcified build up. Then a small wire with deflated balloon was inserted through the catheter to the blocked affected area of the iliac …show more content…
In today 's society, many people make bad food choices due to taste and availability causing a lot of the patient 's we encounter to have elevated fat and cholesterol levels. This increases the chance of plaque build up causes narrowing and hardening of the arteries, which can lead to heart disease, heart attack or stroke. It 's important to recognize if a patient may have a potential problem before it escalates. Both the patient 's I witnessed had similar symptoms of fatigue and pain due to lack of circulation. Viewing these procedures helped reinforce my knowledge about the heart and vascular systems anatomy. In the future when caring for patient 's with an increased risk for CAD or PAD, I can use my experience from today and help the patient seek treatment
All of the wires and catheter movement is done using x-ray for guidance and a radiopaque contrast agent was used to visualize the arteries (Smeltzer, 2011, p. 713). A wire was then fed through the femoral artery and where the wire was supposed to move into the iliac artery. However, after several attempts the doctor determined this method wouldn 't work for this patient. The doctor then made the decision to access the iliac artery through the brachial artery. The wire was then fed into the heart and down the descending thoracic aorta and a catheter was then put into place. Upon injection of the contrast, it was visibly noticeable that iliac artery was blocked and calcified. Collateral circulation had developed rerouting the circulation using nearby minor vessels. Once the diseased artery was located the doctor used special equipment that injected water into the vessels and "chiseled" away at the calcified build up. Then a small wire with deflated balloon was inserted through the catheter to the blocked affected area of the iliac …show more content…
In today 's society, many people make bad food choices due to taste and availability causing a lot of the patient 's we encounter to have elevated fat and cholesterol levels. This increases the chance of plaque build up causes narrowing and hardening of the arteries, which can lead to heart disease, heart attack or stroke. It 's important to recognize if a patient may have a potential problem before it escalates. Both the patient 's I witnessed had similar symptoms of fatigue and pain due to lack of circulation. Viewing these procedures helped reinforce my knowledge about the heart and vascular systems anatomy. In the future when caring for patient 's with an increased risk for CAD or PAD, I can use my experience from today and help the patient seek treatment