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Cath Lab Procedures: Complete Reference List

Cath Lab Procedures: Complete Reference List

RODNIE ORO
Medical

Reviewed by Rodnie Oro, cath lab charge nurse · Last reviewed: October 2026 · Education only, not medical advice

This list in one minute

What it is: a plain-English list of 51 procedures that can be done in or alongside a cardiac catheterisation (cath) lab, grouped into 7 categories.

How to use it: each item has a one-line description. Items in blue link to a full Cath Lab 101 guide. Others are listed for reference and may get their own guide later.

Note: which procedures are done, and where, varies between hospitals.

On this page: Diagnostic · Interventional Coronary · Structural Heart · Peripheral Vascular · Support and Rescue · Electrophysiology (often a separate lab) · Imaging Adjuncts

Original diagram of a heart surrounded by the seven cath lab procedure categories with procedure counts: diagnostic 11, interventional coronary 7, structural heart 12, peripheral vascular 4, support and rescue 7, electrophysiology 6, imaging adjuncts

The 51 procedures on this page, grouped into seven categories. Original illustration for rodnieoro.com.

About this list

A cath lab is a room with X-ray imaging where doctors, nurses, physiologists and radiographers work through small tubes (catheters) passed into blood vessels, usually at the wrist or groin. Some procedures are diagnostic (taking pictures or measurements). Others are treatments (opening, closing, replacing or supporting). Electrophysiology work is often done in a separate, dedicated lab.

New to the acronyms? See the Cath Lab Abbreviations A–Z.

Diagnostic

  • Diagram of a catheter at the opening of a heart artery, injecting contrast dye so the coronary arteries show on X-ray.Coronary angiography: X-ray pictures of the heart arteries using contrast dye, to look for narrowings or blockages.
  • Diagram of two catheters: one through a vein into the right heart and lung artery, one through an artery into the aorta and left ventricle.Right and left heart catheterisation: Measuring pressures and oxygen levels inside the chambers on both sides of the heart.
  • Diagram of a looped catheter in the aorta just above the aortic valve, filling the aorta with contrast dye.Aortography: Contrast pictures of the aorta, the main artery leaving the heart, and sometimes the aortic valve. Covered in the coronary angiogram guide.
  • Diagram of a catheter in the left ventricle filling it with contrast, with relaxed and squeezed outlines compared.Ventriculography: Contrast pictures of a pumping chamber to look at its size, movement and any valve leak. Covered in the coronary angiogram guide.
  • Diagram of the lungs with a catheter in the lung artery injecting contrast, showing a possible clot in a branch.Pulmonary angiography: Contrast pictures of the arteries in the lungs, for example to look for clots or narrowings.
  • Diagram of bypass grafts on the heart, with a catheter at a graft opening on the aorta to inject contrast.Bypass graft angiography: Contrast pictures of bypass grafts from earlier heart surgery, to check they are open.
  • Diagram of a biopsy catheter passed through a neck vein into the right ventricle, taking a tiny sample from the septum wall.Endomyocardial biopsy: Taking tiny samples of heart muscle with a catheter, to help diagnose heart muscle disease.
  • Diagram of a catheter in the right ventricle connected to a monitor showing pressure waveforms from a chamber and an artery.Intracardiac and intravascular pressure measurement: Recording blood pressure inside the heart chambers and blood vessels through a catheter. Covered in the right and left heart catheterisation guide.
  • Diagram of the heart with oxygen sample points along the right side and an arrow showing blood leaking through a hole between the two sides.Shunt detection: Checking for blood flowing abnormally between the two sides of the heart, often by sampling oxygen levels.
  • Diagram of a catheter through the right heart: cold fluid is injected and a sensor further along records a temperature curve used to work out heart output.Cardiac output measurement: Working out how much blood the heart pumps each minute. Covered in the right and left heart catheterisation guide.
  • Diagram of two catheters: one at a heart artery opening (sample 1, blood going in) and one in the coronary sinus heart vein (sample 2, blood coming out).Myocardial metabolism studies: Research-type sampling of blood from the heart to study how the heart muscle uses energy.

Interventional Coronary

  • Diagram of a narrowed artery with a guidewire and an inflated balloon pressing the plaque outward.Balloon angioplasty: Opening a narrowed heart artery by inflating a small balloon inside it.
  • Diagram of a mesh stent expanded inside an artery, holding the narrowed section open over a guidewire.Coronary stenting: Placing a small mesh tube (stent) to hold a heart artery open after it has been widened.
  • Diagram of a small spinning burr on a wire sanding hard calcium in a narrowed artery.Rotational and orbital atherectomy: Using a spinning tip to sand down hard, calcified plaque before ballooning or stenting. See also: IVL guide.
  • Diagram of a balloon with small blades along its surface, scoring plaque inside a narrowed artery.Cutting balloon angioplasty: A balloon with small blades that scores tough plaque so the artery can be opened. See also: IVL guide.
  • Diagram of a suction catheter inside an artery drawing out a dark clot.Coronary thrombectomy: Removing blood clot from a heart artery, usually during a heart attack. Covered in the heart attack (primary PCI) guide.
  • Diagram of a small filter basket opened downstream of a treated narrowing, catching loose debris.Distal protection: Using a filter or similar device to catch debris that could travel downstream during treatment.
  • Diagram of a bypass graft on the heart with a stent placed inside a narrowed section of the graft.Graft stenting: Placing a stent in a narrowed bypass graft.

Structural Heart

  • Three heart diagrams side by side, each highlighting one position for a catheter-placed valve: aortic, mitral and pulmonic.Transcatheter valve implantation (aortic, mitral, pulmonic): Replacing a diseased heart valve with a new valve delivered by catheter. Guides: aortic (TAVI) · mitral (TMVI) · pulmonary (PPVI).
  • Diagram of a balloon inflated across a narrowed heart valve to stretch it open.Balloon valvuloplasty: Stretching open a narrowed heart valve with a balloon (the linked guide covers the mitral valve).
  • Diagram of the mitral valve seen from above, before with a leaking gap and after with a small clip joining the two leaflets.Transcatheter mitral valve repair (TEER): Clipping the edges of the mitral valve leaflets together by catheter to reduce a leak.
  • Diagram of a catheter crossing from the right to the left atrium and placing a plug at the opening of the left atrial appendage.Left atrial appendage closure: Sealing off a small pouch of the left atrium where clots can form in atrial fibrillation.
  • Diagram of an existing replacement valve seen from above, with a small plug filling a leaking gap at its edge.Paravalvular leak closure: Plugging a leak around the edge of a replacement valve.
  • Diagram of a small balloon in a septal artery branch, with the thickened part of the heart wall it supplies highlighted.Alcohol septal ablation: Treating a thickened heart wall in HOCM by creating a small, controlled area of scar.
  • Diagram of a closure device with two discs either side of the wall between the upper heart chambers, sealing a hole.ASD and PFO closure: Closing a hole or flap-like opening between the upper chambers of the heart with a closure device.
  • Diagram of the aorta and lung artery joined by a small open duct, closed with a plug.PDA closure: Closing a blood vessel between the aorta and pulmonary artery that should have closed after birth.
  • Diagram of the aortic arch with a narrowed section beyond it held open by a stent over a wire.Coarctation angioplasty: Widening a narrowed section of the aorta with a balloon, often with a stent.
  • Diagram of soft metal coils placed in a side vessel to block blood flow into it.Coil embolisation: Blocking an unwanted blood vessel or connection with small metal coils. See also: PDA closure · BT shunt closure.
  • Diagram of a balloon catheter pulled back across the wall between the upper heart chambers to make a small opening.Septostomy: Making or enlarging an opening between the upper chambers, mainly in babies with some congenital heart conditions.
  • Diagram of the lungs with a balloon opening a narrowed branch of the lung artery.Pulmonary angioplasty: Widening narrowed arteries in the lungs with a balloon, sometimes with a stent.

Peripheral Vascular

  • Diagram of the body showing the main artery and leg arteries, with a catheter injecting contrast to show a narrowed leg artery.Peripheral angiography: Contrast pictures of arteries outside the heart, such as those in the legs.
  • Diagram of a neck artery splitting into two branches, with a stent opening a narrowing at the branch to the brain.Carotid stenting: Placing a stent in a narrowed neck artery that supplies the brain.
  • Diagram of the abdomen showing the main artery and kidney arteries, with a stent in a narrowed kidney artery.Renal stenting: Placing a stent in a narrowed artery to the kidney.
  • Diagram of a kidney artery with a catheter delivering energy at points on the wall to calm the nerves around it.Renal denervation: Treating nerves around the kidney arteries by catheter, as a treatment for high blood pressure.

Support and Rescue

  • Diagram of fluid around the heart with a needle and drain entering from just below the breastbone into the fluid, draining to a bag.Pericardiocentesis: Draining fluid from the sac around the heart with a needle and small drain.
  • Two-panel close-up: a balloon inflated across the sac around the heart, then the opening it leaves so fluid can drain away.Percutaneous pericardial window: Making an opening in the sac around the heart with a balloon so fluid can keep draining.
  • Diagram of a temporary pacing wire passed through a vein to the right ventricle and connected to an external pacing box.Temporary pacemaker placement: Passing a temporary pacing wire through a vein to keep the heart beating at a safe rate. See also: permanent pacemaker guide.
  • Diagram of the body with a long balloon in the main chest artery, inserted at the groin, that inflates and deflates in time with the heartbeat.Intra-aortic balloon pump: A balloon in the aorta that inflates and deflates with each heartbeat to support the heart.
  • Diagram of a small catheter-based pump placed across the aortic valve, drawing blood from the left ventricle into the aorta.Percutaneous LV support devices: Small pumps placed by catheter to help the left ventricle pump blood during high-risk procedures or shock.
  • Diagram of a heart-lung bypass circuit: blood leaves through a leg vein, passes through a pump and oxygenator, and returns through a leg artery.ECMO: A machine that takes over the work of the heart and lungs for a time, connected through large tubes.
  • Diagram of a snare loop on a catheter grabbing a lost wire fragment inside a blood vessel.Foreign body removal: Retrieving lost or broken equipment from the heart or blood vessels using snares or similar tools.

Electrophysiology (often a separate lab)

  • Diagram of several electrode wires placed inside the heart through a leg vein, with a monitor showing internal electrical signals.EP studies: Recording the heart's electrical signals from inside the heart to find the cause of a rhythm problem.
  • Diagram of a catheter tip in the left atrium making a ring of small heat lesions to block faulty electrical signals.Radiofrequency ablation: Using heat at the catheter tip to treat small areas of tissue causing an abnormal rhythm. See also: AF ablation guide.
  • Diagram of a freezing balloon catheter in the left atrium pressed against the opening of a lung vein.Cryoablation: Using freezing to treat tissue causing an abnormal rhythm, for example in atrial fibrillation.
  • Diagram of a basket-shaped electrode catheter in the left atrium delivering short electrical pulses at a lung vein opening.Pulsed field ablation: Using short electrical pulses rather than heat or cold to treat rhythm-causing tissue. See also: AF ablation guide.
  • Diagram of a generic catheter delivering laser light to make a small scar in heart tissue, with three insets showing target areas for AF, SVT and VT.Laser ablation (AF, SVT, VT): Using laser energy to treat tissue causing abnormal heart rhythms. See also: AF ablation guide.
  • Diagram of a device under the skin below the collarbone with leads passing through a vein into the right atrium and right ventricle.Pacemaker and defibrillator implants: Fitting a device under the skin to keep the heart rate safe or treat dangerous rhythms. See also the S-ICD guide.

Imaging Adjuncts

  • Diagram of an ultrasound catheter inside an artery and the cross-section image it produces showing the vessel wall and plaque.IVUS: Intravascular ultrasound: a tiny ultrasound probe inside the artery to see the vessel wall and plaque. See also: PCI guide.
  • Diagram of a light-based imaging catheter inside an artery and the detailed cross-section image it produces.OCT: Optical coherence tomography: light-based imaging inside the artery that shows very fine detail. See also: PCI guide.
  • Diagram of a pressure wire passed beyond a narrowing, comparing blood pressure before and after it.FFR: Fractional flow reserve: a pressure wire test showing whether a narrowing is limiting blood flow. See also: coronary angiogram guide.
  • Diagram of a 3D colour-coded map of the left ventricle, with a catheter tip touching the inner wall and a colour scale from healthy to weak areas.Electromechanical mapping: Building a map of the heart's electrical activity and wall movement from inside the heart. See also: AF ablation guide.

Disclaimer

Education only. This page is for general education for healthcare students, cath lab staff and curious readers. It isn't medical advice and doesn't replace advice from your own doctor, heart team or local unit protocols. Equipment and medicines are described generically. No product or manufacturer is recommended. If you think someone is having a heart emergency, call 999.

Disclosure: I work for a company that makes devices used in some of these procedures. This page is independent education, isn't sponsored or reviewed by any company, and doesn't recommend any product.

The diagrams on this page are original illustrations created for rodnieoro.com.

Right and left heart catheterisation: a Cath Lab 101 guide

Right and left heart catheterisation: a Cath Lab 101 guide
UNICORN (valve through the leaflet in TAVI): a Cath Lab 101 guide

UNICORN (valve through the leaflet in TAVI): a Cath Lab 101 guide

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