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>> Welcome the University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center.
We're here today to answer a number of your questions and make you feel comfortable
with your upcoming cardiac catheterization.
I'll be walking through each step of the process
to give you a better idea of what you'll be experiencing.
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When you arrive at the building, you can either have one of our valets park your car for you.
Thank you.
Or you can enter the gates at the end of the circular drive
and find a spot in our multiple floor garage.
You'll enter the building here on the third floor.
That's right, which is the main entrance to the Cardiovascular Center.
That's what happens when you build a hospital on a hill.
Here we are at the information desk, where our helpful staff is ready
to answer any questions you might have.
Now, before your cardiac catheterization, or cath, as we commonly call it,
let's talk about all the things you should have done prior to coming here.
I mean, let's face it, there's not point in going any further
if you haven't taken the proper steps.
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First, the day before your visit, you should drink plenty
of water and avoid caffeine and alcohol.
You can eat your usual diet unless told otherwise, but be clear that you cannot drink
or eat anything after midnight, so you'll want to be sure
that your properly hydrated at that point.
It's important to share all the medications you're taking with your doctor prior
to your cath so you can establish your medicine schedule
for the period immediately before your visit.
Ensure that you bring at least one responsible adult with you who can help you before
and after the process and make important decisions on your behalf if need be.
For the purpose of this video, we'll refer to that person as your family
from this point forward, but it's really anyone you can trust who can bring you to
and from the cardiac procedures unit, remain at the CPU during your entire visit,
and stay with you after discharge to ensure your safety.
That person should also know there is a chance that you may need to stay overnight
at the hospital, and that they would need to bring you home the following day.
Even if you travel by taxi or public transportation,
we insist that you have an adult with you.
Your procedure cannot start until the CPU staff speaks
with the person who will be taking you home.
Finally, it's very important that you bring the following items:
a list of all medications you're taking, including supplements
and over-the-counter medicines, a list of your known allergies, your health insurance cards,
and your blue University of Michigan hospital card.
Have you got all that?
Make sure that you do because for the remainder of your visit,
you'll be asked about this information more than once.
It might get annoying.
After all, didn't you answer those questions already?
But please understand that we intentionally do this because it's very important
to check this information multiple times to ensure that we give you the best possible care.
Right around the corner from the information desk are the third floor elevators.
We're trying to get to floor 2A, which is the floor below us.
Simply press the button labeled 2A between the second and third floor buttons, and viola,
you've arrived at the right place.
Your family can get comfortable here in the waiting area, with free wifi, magazines,
iPods, games, and other activities.
You'll move over here to the desk for check in,
where the receptionist will help you through the process.
At this point, the receptionist will alert the waiting room coordinator that you have arrived.
The waiting room coordinator will tell you and your family what's expected of them
and explain their role in the process.
>> This is the family waiting area.
You'll be waiting out here while he's in this procedure.
Do you have any questions that you would like to ask me?
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>> Lockers are available for your personal belongings so that no one
in the waiting room needs to keep it with them.
Your family will be responsible for holding the key.
All right, you're checked in.
Your family has spoken to the waiting room coordinator, and now,
you're ready to begin preparing for your cath, so let's do it.
Our first step is the scale room.
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Here you'll be weighed prior to your cath.
It's probably a calibration issue.
Next, you'll go into the prep room, which is the last step before moving into the lab.
First, you need to remove your clothes and change into a fashionable hospital gown.
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At this point, we'll meet your clinicians and talk to each one
about their role in today's cath.
Typically, you'd be introduced to the physician's assistant, a fellow,
which is a cardiologist who is obtaining specialized training through a fellowship,
a registered nurse or RN, and a cardiovascular technologist.
Of course, different people require different clinicians, so don't be alarmed
if this isn't the exact lineup you meet.
Whew, does anybody else feel a draft in here.
Next, you'll undergo a series of questions, probably the same questions
that a receptionist asked you minutes earlier.
Really? Again?
Well, this is intentional, as it helps us double-check your information.
You'll also sign a consent form at this point.
It's here in the prep room that you'll also get set up for the procedure itself.
The CPU staff will need to shave any areas that need to remain clean,
such as the area on your chest where EKG patches will be placed.
This is very important in order to receive a clean signal from the patches.
Of course, if you're an Olympic swimmer, you can skip this step.
A nurse will also start an intravenous line here as well, and this IV is necessary
to give you medicine that comforts you during the cath.
Now that you're properly prepped, the clinicians will take you into the lab itself.
They will review the procedure one final time
and answer any last minute questions you may have.
After that, you're ready for the cath.
You'll be in here for roughly an hour, being treated by some
of the best interventional cardiologists in the world,
while the waiting room coordinator updates your family on your progress
and addresses any questions or concerns they might have.
Once the cath is finished, the waiting room coordinator will also connect your family
with the attending physician, who will go over the cath and explain the results.
After the cath, you'll be moved into a recovery room,
where your clinicians can monitor your health for the next few hours.
If you would like, you can have limited visitors while you're here.
Once you've been moved her, they'll need to remove the small plastic tube
that allowed them access to your arteries in a process called the sheath pull.
In order for the entry point to heal and stay healed,
you'll need to spend several hours lying completely flat
at the hospital with very limited movement.
Due to the length of this recovery period, you may need to stay overnight at the hospital.
Again, please ensure that your family is aware that this is a possibility.
Once the hospital believes you're safe to leave the Center, you'll be discharged.
After a nurse review discharge instructions with you and your family, they can now take you home,
where you should continue to rest
and have someone monitor you for the remainder of the day.
During this same period, you're not allowed to drive due to the medication
that will be left in your system from the cath.
Again, make sure your family is aware of these limitations and can arrange any transportation
that might be necessary during this period.
If you or your loved ones are concerned about your health following the cath,
contact either the Cardiovascular Center or the emergency room to discuss your issues
and determine if there's any need to return to the hospital.
If you'd like to go over any aspect of this visit in great detail, or if you have a question
that was not addressed in the video, you may call the clinical coordinator at 734-232-4271.
We look forward to your visit and wish you the best of luck
on your upcoming cardiac catheterization.
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