What happens during a CT coronary angiogram scan?

Transcript

The video you're about to watch tells you everything you need to know on the day of your CT coronary angiogram. So there are several things that we need you to do before the scan. The key here is that you have to avoid caffeine on the day of the actual study.

It's also important that you refrain from eating for six hours prior to the scan. Once you come into our unit we'll ask you to change into a hospital gown and remove any metal objects such as jewellery. During the actual scan the first thing we do is put you on our motorised bed and get you in the right position.

This allows the bed to move into the CT scanner which resembles a large donut. Prior to doing that we put some electrodes onto your chest so that we can monitor your heart rhythm. This allows the scanner to acquire the images at an appropriate time on your heart cycle.

Once that's done and you've had the first stage of the scan which does not involve any contrast, we move on to the second stage where a contrast dye is administered via the intravenous line that we've put in place. Once that's done you experience a warm sensation or perhaps even a metallic taste in your mouth. The scanner takes the images and it is critical that you keep as still as possible.

The other thing that we ask you to do is hold your breath for a few seconds at a time during the study. The actual scan itself takes just 5 to 15 minutes but the overall procedure once we factor in paperwork, getting you dressed and getting you changed again may take up to 30 minutes. In a proportion of patients, particularly those who are understandably anxious, your heart rate may be higher than usual.

It's important to get your heart rate low for the scan so we give those patients intravenous beta blockers which are medications that reduce your heart rate. After the scan is complete, you can resume normal activities immediately. It's important to drink plenty of water to help flush out the contrast die.

Once the scan is complete, the images are passed on to cardiologists and radiologists who work together to provide a detailed report on the findings of your scan. I hope you now realise that a CT Colony Angiogram is a safe and highly informative diagnostic tool that provides crucial insights into your heart health without the need for invasive procedures.