The laboratory offers comprehensive diagnostic and interventional cardiac catheterization for patients ranging in age from newborns to adults with congenital heart disease. Diagnostic catheterization is performed when echocardiography and/or other imaging modalities do not adequately show the structures of the heart and related blood vessels. In addition, diagnostic catheterization is used to help understand the functioning of the heart and related blood vessels. Interventional catheterization is performed in order to treat a number of relatively simple congenital heart defects, such as the narrowing of blood vessels and heart valves, abnormal blood vessels and abnormal openings between chambers of the heart (e.g. Coarctation of the aorta, pulmonary branch stenosis, pulmonary valve stenosis, aortic valve stenosis, patent ductus arteriosis, atrial septal defect and ventricular septal defect). Cardiovascular devices such as coils, septal occluders and stents are commonly used in these interventional procedures.

The laboratory is equipped with a state of the art bi-plane, hybrid digital imaging system and is configured for the use of echocardiography to supplement radiographic images. General anesthesia is provided to the patients for almost all procedures and anesthesia equipment is built into the laboratory.

For a typical patient, diagnostic catheterization takes approximately two hours and interventional catheterization often takes longer, usually about three to three and a half hours. Please refer to our  teaching pamphlet  (PDF) for more details for patients and families. Because patients will receive anesthesia, it is critical that patients refrain from eating and drinking for at least 4 hours prior to the testing. Older patients need to refrain for a longer period time, so confirm your restriction time with your cardiologist. Also, when coming in for a scheduled catheterization, it is imperative to arrive at the reporting time, which is usually an hour and a half to two hours before the actual start time. This time is used to check the patient into the hospital, complete the required paperwork and consent forms, and to prepare the patient for catheterization. On the day of the catheterization, patients check in at the pre-surgical area at Rady Children's Hospital.

Our laboratory is directed by John Moore MD, MPH. Howaida El-Said, MD also performs diagnostic and interventional procedures. The laboratory currently performs approximately 40 catheterizations per month.

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