Going to the Catheterization lab for a heart testing procedure can cause stress and anxiety, especially if you don't know what to expect.

Two years ago Bonnie Culbreth found out the importance of a Cath lab after arriving at the emergency room and doctors discovered she was having a heart attack. "I was rushed to the Cath lab where they did the balloon insertion. I was very fortunate that the Cath lab was available."

Cardiologist Brian Hanlon explains that "Cardiac Catheterization is a way to directly look at the heart arteries and it's actually a term used to encompass a number of things you can diagnose with the procedure."

Dr. Hanlon says that this "procedure" consists of your cardiologist inserting a long, thin tube called a catheter into a blood vessel through a small incision in your groin. The tube is guided to your heart, where the coronary arteries begin. "It's most commonly used to look at the blood flow to the coronary arteries. Usually can take up to an hour, if it's simply a diagnostic test it may not take very long but if there's more of a procedure involved including an angioplasty or a stent it certainly would take longer."

Going to the Cath lab for a cardiac catheterization is generally done only when you have symptoms of blockage, or your doctor has reason to believe there is a blockage and you may need treatment.

In the United States, more than 1.1 million heart caths are done each year.