Complications of Cardiac Catheterization

Because all cardiac catheterizations involve the insertion of foreign objects (i.e., cardiac catheters) into the circulatory system, it should not be surprising that a variety of adverse events (complications) can ensue. These complications range from minor problems with no long-term sequelae (e.g., transient bradycardia during coronary contrast injection) to major problems [e.g., cardiac perforation, abrupt closure of a coronary artery during percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA)] that may require immediate surgical attention or cause irreversible damage (e.g., stroke, myocardial infarction, renal failure, or even death).