Right heart catheterisation
Right heart catheterisation (also called cardiac catheterisation) measures the pressure in your heart and lungs.1 Learn how it helps your cardiologist diagnose whether you have pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).
1 min read
Looking at:
The blood pressure in the right side of your heart and in your pulmonary artery (the blood vessel that connects your heart with your lungs).1
What to expect:
A thin flexible tube will be inserted into your groin or arm and passed through your blood vessels until it reaches your pulmonary artery.2
This test is likely to be carried out in a hospital or a specialist heart centre by a cardiologist. You will most likely be awake, but it shouldn't be painful. You will be given localised anaesthetic to numb the area and your doctor or nurse may give you medication to help you relax.2
There is a low risk of complications and recovery time is quick.2
Understanding your results:
Right heart catheterisation can help to diagnose PAH if you have increased pressure in the blood vessels in your lungs.
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John Hopkins Medicine. Right heart catheterisation. Available: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/treatment-tests-and-therapies/right-heart-catheterization [Accessed December 2021].
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Mayo Clinic. Cardiac catheterization. Available: https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/cardiac-catheterization/about/pac-20384695 [Accessed December 2021].
"They discovered I had quite severe fibrosis of my lungs. I was referred to a specialist hospital and things have improved with treatment, which is good."
– Mandy