Cardiac CT Service - Patient information sheet

A CT coronary angiogram uses x-rays to create a detailed picture of the heart.

What to expect

You will have your scan at the CT Scanning Unit at Borders General Hospital. You will be asked to attend the department 30 minutes prior to your scan. On the day of the CT scan please take all your medications as normal.

When you arrive your blood pressure will be checked and your heart rate will be monitored with four sticky electrode patches on your chest. A small amount of chest hair may need to be shaved for this. A small plastic tube (venflon) will be inserted into one of the low-pressure blood vessels (vein) in your arm.

This is done with a small needle and feels similar to having a blood test.

To get the best pictures of your heart, we may need to give you medication to slow your heart rate down, either as a tablet or through the plastic tube in your vein. This medication can take up to an hour to work and may need to be repeated prior to your scan.

This is a picture of our CT scanner.

• 
  You will be asked to lie down on the couch of the CT scanner. Once you are in the correct position, it is important that you stay as still as possible.
• You will be given instructions to "breath in and hold your breath." This will happen several times while we set up the scan and you will be told when you can breath normally. We will give you some contrast (dye) through the small plastic tube in your arm, so that we can see the blood vessels around your heart clearly.
• This can give a metallic taste in your mouth and a warm sensation. This is normal.
• After the scan you will be asked to sit in our waiting room for half an hour so we can make sure you have had no ill effects from the medications or contrast. Your heart rate and blood pressure will be checked again.

Please refrain from driving or cycling until you feel back to normal

Risks

There are some small risks associated with a CT scan. A CT scan uses x-ray radiation. Radiation affects
growing cells so can be harmful to unborn babies. If you are pregnant, or think you may be pregnant, please let us know before your scan.

The amount of radiation used during the scan varies but is around 2 to 3 times the amount that you would normally receive in a year from background natural sources of radiation such as cosmic rays and rocks in the Earths crust.

The lifetime risk of developing cancer from the x-rays involved in the scan is very small, around 6 in 10000 compared to the background risk of developing cancer of 1 in 300 per year.

Very occasionally people experience an allergic reaction to the contrast. This usually manifests as an itchy rash that settles down by itself. Occasionally people require additional medications for this.

Rarely the contrast (dye) goes into the tissues under the skin of your arm rather than the vein. This can cause bruising and swelling which may require ice packs. The contrast is washed out through your kidneys and occasionally (in less than 2%) it can cause some temporary impairment of your kidney.

You should make sure you drink plenty of water after your scan. When we use medication to slow your heart rate down, this can make some people feel lightheaded or dizzy. If this happens, we will get you to drink some water and lie down. You should not drive or cycle until you feel back to normal.