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After your procedure:

If no other tests or treatment are required, the staff will prepare to bring you to the post-procedure area for recovery. You will need to keep your leg (or arm) straight, particularly as you are moving from the table to a stretcher. In the recovery area or, in some cases, back in your hospital room, your catheters will be taken out and pressure will be applied for approximately 15 to 30 minutes to help stop bleeding and to allow the puncture sites to heal.

Please tell the staff immediately if you experience any of the following after your catheterization:

• Chest, neck, jaw, or arm discomfort, or any discomfort similar to your “heart pain”

• Shortness of breath

• Weakness or dizziness

• Pain at the puncture site

• Numbness, tingling, or discomfort below the puncture site

• A warm or wet sensation around the puncture site

• Any other discomfort

If the catheterization was through the groin, bed rest (usually for 4 to 6 hours) is essential to ensure that the puncture site heals. We may raise the head of your bed slightly (up to 30 degrees), but you should not actively raise your head. You should not turn from side to side. You may bend your foot and wiggle your toes, but do not bend your knee. Please let us know if you have back discomfort; we will try to help you to get comfortable. If you have to cough or sneeze, apply firm, direct pressure over the adhesive strip on your groin. If your arm was used for the catheterization, you should be able to get out of bed within 1 to 4 hours following the procedure. You will be able to eat while you are in bed after the procedure. In most cases, you will be instructed to drink extra fluid to help your kidneys eliminate the X-ray dye. Since you will not be able to get out of bed, a nurse will assist you in the use of a urinal or bedpan.

Following your resting period, a nurse will help you get out of bed. This should be done slowly and carefully. We recommend that your initial activity be limited to short trips, for example to a nearby bathroom. The following day, you may resume light activity. If you are going home the evening of your procedure, you will be given additional written instructions before you are discharged. Please be prepared for the following:

• Plan to stay in the hospital for 2 to 8 hours after your procedure is finished

• Have an escort or family member pick you up and drive you home from the hospital

• Plan to have someone stay with you overnight after your catheterization procedure

You should not spend the first night at home alone

• Limit your activity to your trip home

• Resume light activity (around home) the next day

These are some important points your doctor should discuss with you before you leave:

• The findings of your catheterization

• Your activity level

• Your medications

We have attempted to explain what you will experience before, during, and after your catheterization procedure. You may have other questions or require more individualized information. Your doctor or any member of your catheterization team is available to answer your questions and support you throughout your visit.

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