Can your heart stop during a routine heart angiogram?

Yes you sure can: During an angiogram, you are typically given "conscious sedation, " which is just enough medication to put you almost to sleep. This often does put people to sleep and people often do snore. The folks monitoring your anesthesia will make sure you airway is protected and keep you safe. No worries.

Unlikely: All your vital signs are continually monitored during a routine angiogram. During this study, dye is injected into your blood vessels to look for any blockages or other problems in your heart's circulation. Rarely, people have allergic reactions to the dye. Rarely, there can be an abnormal heart rhythm during the test. In any case, the cardiologist has medications to treat any problem.