Pulmonary artery and right heart catheterization

Catheterization of the pulmonary artery and right heart is a highly reliable method used to determine blood pressure in the pulmonary artery and is considered the gold standard for diagnosing pulmonary hypertension. This invasive cardiac procedure involves inserting a catheter into either the left or right side of the heart, enabling a series of diagnostic tests.

By probing the heart's cavities, this technique allows for the measurement of intracardiac pressure, examination of the heart valves and septa, collection of blood samples, assessment of myocardial function and perfusion, and the performance of radiopaque studies of the heart chambers, among other diagnostic evaluations. Catheterization of the left heart typically involves inserting the probe through a puncture in the femoral or brachial artery, while catheterization of the right heart is done through the ulnar or femoral vein under the guidance of X-ray and ECG.

Before cardiac surgery, probing of the heart cavities is often conducted as a preliminary step. Importantly, cardiac catheterization is a minimally invasive procedure associated with minimal risk of complications.

Right heart catheterization, along with acute vaso reactivity tests, is employed to evaluate the severity of pulmonary hypertension, assess hemodynamic disorders, and predict the potential effectiveness of treatment.