Pre-Admission Testing for Arteriogram
Your physician has scheduled you for an arteriogram procedure at UMC. It will be necessary for you to pre-admit for your arteriogram. This pre-admission can be performed up to 2 weeks prior to your procedure but MUST BE done NO LATER than 24 hours prior to your scheduled arteriogram. Your pre-admission will be performed at the UMC Outpatient Center. When you arrive at the Outpatient Center, you will sign in at the front desk to await registration. Once you are registered, you will be escorted to the Testing area where a Registered Nurse will interview you to obtain your medical history. Please be sure to bring with you a complete list of all medications, prescription and over-the-counter, that you are currently taking. Be sure to include the dosage of the medication(s) and how often you take each one. The Pre-Admission Nurse will need this list. Your Physician may also order pre-admission lab work, chest x-ray, and/or EKG exam that will all be taken care of at this time. Your Pre-Admission Nurse will also confirm with you the scheduled time of arrival for your arteriogram.
Day of Procedure
Arrive at the UMC Outpatient Center at the designated time for your arteriogram. You will sign in at the front desk to notify them of your arrival. It is required that you have had nothing to eat or drink after midnight. If you did not pre-admit for necessary blood work and assessments, you will be taken to Outpatient Testing. This will take approximately 45 minutes to complete before your exam can be initiated. Please bring only 2 visitors or family members with you for your arteriogram. There is very limited seating in the Outpatient lobby and we want your family members to be comfortable during their wait time while your procedure is being performed. You and your family members/visitors will be escorted from the waiting room to the area where the procedure will be performed. At that time, you will be asked to change into a hospital gown. Your clothes and valuables will then be given to your family member (or visitor) to keep while your procedure is being performed. The Radiology Nurse will give you and your visitors an expected time frame of how long the arteriogram will take. Please be sure to have a responsible adult remain at UMC throughout the entire length of the procedure.
Procedure
You will be taken to a private area where your medical history can be reviewed and consent signed. DO NOT BE ALARMED IF YOU ARE ASKED SIMILAR QUESTIONS by different staff on several occasions. This is used as a safety check before your procedure. It will be necessary to have an IV started at this time. A catheter will be placed to allow drainage of your bladder as necessary during your arteriogram. Your vital signs must be monitored at all times during your procedure and the nurse will attach you to a unit that will automatically perform the monitoring. The surgeon or radiologist that will perform the arteriogram will introduce themselves and will discuss with you the risks and benefits of the procedure. After that has taken place, the nurse will give you medication that will allow you to relax and relieve discomfort that you may have from the procedure.
Before the procedure starts the entire team; surgeon or radiologist, nurse, and technologist will perform a “Time Out”. The “Time Out” consists of each team member agreeing on the following; CORRECT PATIENT, CORRECT PROCEDURE, CORRECT SURGICAL SITE, CORRECT PATIENT POSITION, and USING THE CORRECT EQUIPMENT. This “Time Out” is performed for your safety. The skin in your groin area will then be cleaned with Betadine soap by one of the team members. The surgeon or the radiologist will inject an anesthetic (Lidocaine) to allow the area to numb so will not feel the needle placement in to the artery. This may cause a stinging sensation for a few seconds until the numbness takes effect. A second catheter will be placed into your artery. To better visualize your arteries, contrast (x-ray dye) will be injected into the artery. It is very normal for you to feel a warm sensation during this injection. During the evaluation of your vessels, the surgeon or radiologist may make the decision to repair any damaged arteries to allow better blood flow. Once this evaluation and/or repair has been completed, the catheter will be removed from your artery. It is then necessary for a team member to hold pressure on that artery for 15-30 minutes to ensure that bleeding does not occur and clotting can form. The nurse will take you to an outpatient recovery area or an in-patient room, depending on the type of arteriogram performed.
Recovery Area
After arriving in the recovery area, your vital signs will be monitored and a nurse will assess you. They will assess your pain on a 1 to 10 scale, 1 being the least and 10 being the worst. You should not have any pain, only general discomfort from lying on the table. The nurse will check your surgical site for bleeding, as well as the pulses in your legs and feet. It is necessary for you to lie flat for at least one hour after the arteriogram before you can raise your head. After that time, you will be allowed to eat. The remaining recovery time will be anywhere from 4 to 8 hours, depending upon the arteriogram performed and should consist of strict bedrest. You may have one visitor remain with you during this recovery time. The nurse will continue to periodically check your dressing and pulses during this time.
Post- Procedure
You will be given instructions specific to your procedure prior to your discharge. You must have a responsible adult to drive you home. You will not be allowed to go home in a cab or on a bus unless you have a responsible adult with you. These arrangements MUST BE made prior to the day of your procedure.