Share This Link

Maintain the child on bed rest with no further activity restrictions is inaccurate since the affected extremity must be immobilized. Allowing movement could disrupt hemostasis and cause bleeding.

Getting out of bed prematurely increases the risk of bleeding and hematoma formation, especially in younger children who may have poor understanding of activity restrictions.

Even with the extremity immobilized, sitting upright too soon increases pressure at the femoral site, raising the risk of bleeding. Strict bed rest is preferred in the immediate post-procedure period.

“I’m glad my child won't have an IV catheter inserted for this procedure.” Echocardiography is noninvasive, performed externally with a transducer on the chest. No IV access is required for routine echo, so this reflects accurate understanding.

“I’m glad my child won’t need to have dye injected into him before the procedure.” Standard echocardiography uses ultrasound only. No contrast dye or radioactive agents are typically required, except for rare contrast echocardiography, which is specialized and not routine in pediatrics.

“I know my child may need to lie on his left side and breathe in and out slowly during the procedure.” Echocardiography often requires the child to assume the left lateral recumbent position, which optimizes visualization of the heart structures, especially the left chambers. The nurse may instruct the child to breathe slowly or hold a breath briefly to improve image quality.

Cardiac enzyme levels requires venipuncture to draw blood, making it minimally invasive rather than noninvasive. Enzyme levels (like troponin) provide biochemical evidence of myocardial injury but do not assess cardiac structure or function directly.

Cardiac catheterization is an invasive procedure requiring the insertion of a catheter into a vein or artery, usually femoral, to measure pressures, inject contrast dye, and perform angiography. It has a high risk for bleeding, infection, and arrhythmias. It provides detailed hemodynamic data but is not noninvasive.

Transesophageal pacing involves placing a pacing electrode into the esophagus to stimulate the heart. Technically minimally invasive because it enters the body and can cause discomfort or complications.

Cardiac catheterization is invasive, requiring vascular access. There is a risk of bleeding, infection, arrhythmias, and vascular injury.

Some children may require sedation or anesthesia depending on age, cooperation, or procedural complexity, but it is not universally required. Older, cooperative children may undergo conscious sedation rather than general anesthesia.

The use of high-frequency sound waves to produce an image of the heart in motion describes echocardiography, not cardiac catheterization. Echo is noninvasive and uses ultrasound, whereas catheterization uses fluoroscopy with contrast dye.

30th percentile for weight: Being in the 30th percentile for weight is not a contraindication. Low weight may affect catheter size or medication dosing, but it does not delay the procedure if within safe limits.

Allergy to soy: Most contrast agents or medications used in pediatric cardiac catheterization do not contain soy, so this allergy alone is not a reason to delay. Relevant allergies should always be checked, but soy allergy is usually not a procedural contraindication.

Oxygen saturation of 91% on room air: Mild hypoxemia is common in children with congenital heart defects, especially those with cyanotic heart disease. This finding does not automatically delay the procedure, though it may require pre-procedural optimization and monitoring.

P wave represents atrial depolarization, which leads to atrial contraction, not ventricular activity.

PR interval represents the time it takes for the impulse to travel from the atria through the AV node to the ventricles. It does not represent depolarization or contraction itself.

T wave represents ventricular repolarization, which occurs during ventricular relaxation, not contraction.