Editing Cardiac catheterization (section)

{{Short description|Insertion of a catheter into a chamber or vessel of the heart}}
{{Infobox medical intervention
| name         = 
| synonym      = Cath, heart cath
| image        = File:Cathlab.jpg||
| caption      = Cardiac catheterization lab
| alt          =
| pronounce    =
| specialty    = cardiology
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| ICD10        =
| ICD9         =
| ICD9unlinked =
| CPT          =
| MeshID       =
| LOINC        =
| other_codes  =
| MedlinePlus  =
| eMedicine    =
}}
'''Cardiac catheterization''' ('''heart cath''') is the insertion of a [[catheter]] into a [[heart chamber|chamber]] or [[Blood vessel|vessel]] of the [[heart]]. This is done both for diagnostic and interventional purposes.

A common example of cardiac catheterization is [[coronary catheterization]] that involves catheterization of the [[coronary arteries]] for [[coronary artery disease]] and [[myocardial infarction]]s ("heart attacks"). Catheterization is most often performed in special laboratories with [[fluoroscopy]] and highly maneuverable tables. These "cath labs" are often equipped with cabinets of catheters, [[stent]]s, [[Balloon catheter|balloons]], etc. of various sizes to increase efficiency. Monitors show the fluoroscopy imaging, [[electrocardiogram]] (ECG), pressure waves, and more.