Talk with your healthcare provider about the risks and possible complications of angiography.

Prepare for the peripheral angiography as follows: 

• Tell your healthcare provider about all medicines you take and any allergies you may have.

• Follow any directions you’re given for not eating or drinking before the procedure. If your provider says to take your normal medicines, swallow them with only small sips of water.

• Arrange for a family member or friend to drive you home.

Here is what to expect:

• You may get medicine through an IV (intravenous) line to relax you. You’re given an injection to numb the insertion site. Then, a tiny skin cut (incision) is made near an artery in your groin.

• Your provider inserts a thin tube (catheter) through the incision. He or she then threads the catheter into an artery while looking at a video monitor.

• Contrast dye is injected into the catheter to confirm position. You may feel warmth or pressure in your legs and back. You lie still as X-rays are taken. The catheter is then taken out.

You’ll be taken to a recovery area. A healthcare provider will apply pressure to the site for about 10 minutes. Your healthcare provider will tell you how long to lie down and keep the insertion site still. Your healthcare provider will discuss the results with you soon after the procedure.

On the day you get home, don’t drive, don’t exercise, avoid walking and taking stairs, and avoid bending and lifting. Your healthcare provider may give you other care instructions.

Call your healthcare provider right away if:

• You notice a lump or bleeding at the insertion site, but you can control it with firm pressure

• You feel pain at the insertion site

• You don't urinate in 8 hours 

Call 911, or get medical care right away if you:

• Notice a lump or bleeding at the insertion site, and you can't control it with firm pressure
• Become lightheaded or dizzy
• Have leg pain or numbness; or your leg becomes cold or blue.