Cardiac catheterization is the procedure that characterizes the interventional cardiologist; it consists of introducing a catheter into the blood vessels to reach the heart.
The procedure may be on the left side, the right, or both, so it may be left heart catheterization, right heart catheterization, or left/right heart catheterization.
The more frequent indication for cardiac catheterization is the approach of the coronary arteries to treat several conditions related to either acute or chronic coronary heart disease.
The puncture of the radial artery is, by far, the best option because it significantly reduces the complication rate and hospitalization time.
The Clinics of the Heart is a world pioneer in catheterization by the radial approach and the first in America to perform coronary angioplasty/stenting by this access (Moguel R, et al. Cateterismo cardíaco diagnóstico e intervencionista a través de la arteria radial. Arch Inst Cardiol Méx 1996;66:415-418)
