What is an angiogram?
An angiogram is a special X-ray or picture of the blood vessels (the arteries and veins) in a part of the body. An angiogram
is done by a radiologist, a doctor specially trained to read X-rays and other tests done with X-rays. Several X-ray pictures
are taken while a liquid called a dye or a contrast solution flows in the blood through an artery. The flow of the dye can
be seen on the X-rays. These pictures can show problems in your child’s blood vessels.
Your child will have a general anaesthetic for his angiogram. A general anaesthetic is a medicine that will make your child
sleep during the angiogram so that he will not feel anything. This medicine is given by a specially trained doctor called
an anaesthetist. When the angiogram is over, the anaesthetist will wake your child.
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Who does the angiogram?
A radiologist will do the angiogram. A special X-ray technologist will run the X-ray machine. An anaesthetist will give your
child the anaesthetic and watch your child during the angiogram. A nurse will care for your child and help the doctors during
the angiogram. You will meet all of these people before your child goes into the angiogram room.
Is there any preparation for an angiogram?
Your child may already be in the hospital when he has an angiogram, or your child may be admitted on the day of the angiogram.
Ask the doctor who wants your child to have an angiogram for information about when to come to the hospital and where to go
for your child’s angiogram.
Before the angiogram, your child’s stomach must be empty so your child will not vomit, or throw up, during this test. Vomiting
during the angiogram may cause breathing problems. If your child has breathing problems during the angiogram, the doctors
may not be able to finish it.
Instructions for feeding will be given when the test is booked. They include:
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After midnight on the day of the angiogram, not having anything to eat. Your child must have no milk, gum, or candies.
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Finishing the last feeding (breast milk or formula) 6 hours before the angiogram.
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Having only clear liquids such as water, sugar water, apple juice, or jello between midnight and 3 hours before the angiogram.
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Not having anything at all, not even a sip of water, for the 3 hours before the angiogram.
You should make sure your child has a bath and washes his hair the night before or the morning of the angiogram. Do not use
any creams or lotions on your child after the bath. Your child will have an intravenous, or IV, started and a blood test at
the hospital. An IV is a small tube that is put in a vein in an arm or a leg to give liquids or medicine. The IV and the blood
test can usually be done together on the day of the angiogram. The blood test is done to check that your child’s blood clots,
or clumps, properly.
You should also tell your child’s nurse and doctor if your child has any allergies. They really need to know if your child
has allergies to iodine or anything that has iodine in it, such as shrimp. It is important to know if your child has an allergy
to iodine because he may react to the iodine in the dye used in the angiogram. If your child does have an allergy to iodine,
the radiologist will talk to you about medicines your child can have before the angiogram to help prevent an allergic reaction.
Your child will have to wear a hospital gown, but he can wear underpants or diapers under the gown. Your child can bring a
special toy, such as a teddy bear, to the angiogram room.
What should you tell your child about having an angiogram?
What, when, and how you talk to your child about the angiogram will depend on how old your child is. Talk to your child in
a way that he can understand. It is important to be honest. Children feel less anxious and scared when they know what to expect.
What happens during an angiogram?
This is what happens during an angiogram:
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An anaesthetist gives your child a general anaesthetic through a mask or the IV.
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The radiologist washes the
groin area, the area between the stomach and the top of the leg, with a special cleaning liquid.
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The radiologist uses a special needle to put a long thin tube called a
catheter into the artery in your child’s groin.
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When the catheter is in the right place, the radiologist puts dye into your child’s artery through the catheter and takes
the X-ray pictures. The radiologist may take more X-ray pictures with the catheter in different places in the same artery.
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When the radiologist has all the X-ray pictures needed, he takes the catheter out and presses on the groin to stop any bleeding.
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The anaesthetist wakes your child up.
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Your child then goes to the post-anaesthetic care unit (PACU) to wake up fully from the anaesthetic. The nurse there will
check your child’s
temperature, heart rate,
blood pressure, groin area, and feet often. The nurse checks the feet to make
sure the blood is flowing well. You will be told when you can see your child.
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From the PACU, your child goes back to a nursing unit. If your child was already in the hospital, he will go to the nursing
unit he was on before the angiogram. If your child came to the hospital on the day of the angiogram, he will go to the nursing
unit arranged that day.
How long does an angiogram take?
An angiogram takes about 2 hours. The length of time depends on what part of the body the angiogram is for and how many X-ray
pictures are needed. After the angiogram, your child will be in the PACU for about 1 or 2 hours.
What happens after the angiogram?
After your child goes back to the nursing unit, a nurse will continue to check your child often. Your child will have to lie
flat in bed for about 6 hours. Lying flat helps the place where the catheter was put into the body begin to heal. When your
child is fully awake, he may sip clear liquids and then slowly begin to eat. Drinking clear liquids helps the body get rid
of the dye. If your child does not need any other tests, he can usually go home after lying flat for 6 hours if he is drinking
well and is not throwing up.
Will your child have any pain after the angiogram?
Your child may be sore in the groin area and may have a headache from the dye after the angiogram. Drinking liquids will help
the body get rid of the dye. Your child can have medicine for the pain, such as Tylenol, if he needs it. If the Tylenol does
not help, talk to the nurse.
When will you get the results of the angiogram?
The radiologist will send a report about the results of the angiogram to the doctor who asked for it in about 2 weeks. Ask
your doctor when you can call to talk about the results of your child’s angiogram.
