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Are you awake during a heart catheterization?

Typically, you are awake or given a light sedative that allows you to sleep through the procedure and not remember most of it. You are not put under general anesthesia. You will be given local anesthesia into your skin at the site of the catheter insertion.

The doctor will insert a small tube called a catheter either through the big artery at the top of the leg, or in your arm, and direct the catheter into the heart arteries. The arteries are injected with iodine, which allow them to be visualized on a screen above your body. The heart arteries can be visualized in multiple views to assess how much, if any, plaque is present. If severe blockage is present, you may need either a stent or bypass surgery to help restore adequate blood flow to the heart. 

Additional information can be obtained during the procedure about the size of the various blood vessels, strength of your heart, and valve functioning.

* Savings estimate based on a study of more than 1 billion claims comparing self-pay (or cash pay) prices of a frequency-weighted market basket of procedures to insurer-negotiated rates for the same. Claims were collected between July 2017 and July 2019. R.Lawrence Van Horn, Arthur Laffer, Robert L.Metcalf. 2019. The Transformative Potential for Price Transparency in Healthcare: Benefits for Consumers and Providers. Health Management Policy and Innovation, Volume 4, Issue 3.

Sidecar Health offers and administers a variety of plans including ACA compliant and excepted benefit plans. Coverage and plan options may vary or may not be available in all states.

Your actual costs may be higher or lower than these cost estimates. Check with your provider and health plan details to confirm the costs that you may be charged for a service or procedure.You are responsible for costs that are not covered and for getting any pre-authorizations or referrals required by your health plan. Neither payments nor benefits are guaranteed. Provider data, including price data, provided in part by Turquoise Health.

The site is not a substitute for medical or healthcare advice and does not serve as a recommendation for a particular provider or type of medical or healthcare.