Once the procedure is completed, the patient will be transferred to a cardiac recovery room. They may feel groggy from the sedative and the catheter insertion site may be bruised and sore.
If the groin area was used as the point of catheter insertion, the patient will then be instructed to lie in bed with legs out straight. The physician may choose to use a technique for removing the sheath placed at the initiation of the procedure.
The traditional technique is to wait until the effects of the anticoagulant have passed (four to six hours) and then to apply pressure while removing the sheath from the femoral artery. Another technique allows the sheath to be removed immediately after the procedure with haemostatic devices that seal or stitch tile femoral artery.
If the wrist or arm was used as the point of catheter insertion, then the patient does not need to stay in bed. Throughout the post-procedure monitoring, the point of catheter entrance will be checked for bleeding, swelling or inflammation. Vital signs will be continuously monitored during this observation period. Usually, the patient will stay overnight for further observation.