Discharge Instructions After Femoral Angiography

• Don't drive or make any important decisions for at least 24 hours after getting any type of sedation or anesthesia. Arrange to have a responsible adult drive you home after your procedure.
• Take your medicines as directed.
• Drink 6 to 8 glasses of water a day, unless you get other instructions. This will help flush the X-ray dye out of your body.
• Take your temperature each day for 7 days. If you feel cold and clammy or start sweating, take your temperature right away. Call your healthcare team if you have a fever of 100.4°F (38°C) or higher.
• Don't bend, squat, or lift anything heavy until your healthcare team tells you it's safe to do so again.
• Go back to your normal diet after the procedure, unless your healthcare provider gives you other instructions.
• Follow your healthcare provider's instructions on when you can return to your job or school and resume daily activities.
• Make a follow-up appointment with your healthcare provider, or as directed. Make sure you have the phone numbers for the routine follow-up and emergency care of the healthcare provider who did the procedure.

• Check your insertion site twice daily or as often as directed.
  • You may see a small bruise at the insertion site. This is normal. It usually goes away in 1 to 3 weeks. Watch for signs of the bruise getting bigger or swelling. Call your healthcare provider right away if this happens.
  • You may have mild to moderate discomfort at the insertion site for several days. It should get less and less over the following 10 - 14 days with only slight tenderness.
  • Check the site for signs of infection every day for 1 week. Signs of infection include redness, swelling, or warmth.
• Keep the insertion site clean and dry. Put on a fresh bandage if it gets wet or dirty, or as directed by your healthcare provider.
• Wait to shower until the day after your procedure. Wash the insertion site very gently. Pat it dry. Don’t rub it or put lotion or powder on it.
• Don't swim or sit in a bath or hot tub until your incision has healed, or as directed by your healthcare provider.
• Call your healthcare team if you see a pocket of blood at the insertion site. This is called a hematoma. It will look like a lump under your skin and may cause pain. It can take 1 to 2 weeks for the hematoma to heal. Your healthcare team may tell you to apply pressure to the site with a clean cloth. Call them right away if the lump gets bigger or doesn't go away in 2 weeks.

Call 911 right away if you have any of these at the insertion site:

• Bleeding that doesn’t stop with pressure
• Sudden swelling or severe pain

Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any of these:

• Fever of 100.4°F (38°C) or higher, or as directed by your healthcare provider
• Shaking chills
• Bruising or swelling that gets bigger in size where the catheter was inserted
• Signs of infection at the insertion site, such as redness, swelling, warmth, or drainage
• A leg that feels cold or looks pale or blue
• Pain or numbness in your leg that doesn't get better or gets worse
• Black or tarry stools
• Blood in your urine
• Not passing enough urine or passing no urine
• Blood in your urine
• Dizziness
• Trouble breathing