What to Expect
Preparing for Your Cardiac Catheterization
Once your procedure is scheduled, a member of the cardiac catheterization team will contact you with more detailed procedure instructions specific to you or your child.
On the day of the procedure:
- You will check in at the Pediatric Surgical Suite at your instructed arrival time.
- Before your procedure, you will meet with your care team.
- You may also see a child life specialist to help prepare your child for the procedure.
When the procedure is completed, you will be on “bed-rest” for up to 4 hours. Some patients are able to go home the same day of the procedure, but we recommend all families prepare to stay for 1 night.
Discharge Instructions
You will receive written instructions specific to you or your child prior to going home from the hospital. This will include any changes to current medications. Activity restrictions will vary depending on the procedure that was done.
- The day following the procedure, you may resume normal every day activities, like walking and using the stairs.
- You should avoid strenuous or hard activities such as sports, running and bike riding for 5-7 days following your procedure.
- You may resume a bath after 3 days and swimming after 7 days.