Which of the following is a potential complication of cardiac catheterization?

• A. Loss of distal pulses
• B. Myocardial infarction
• C. Hyperkalemia
• D. Nausea

Answer: (A)

Loss of distal pulses reflects a direct vascular complication from catheter-based procedures. When a catheter or sheath injures the arterial wall, a thrombosis, dissection, or vasospasm can occur, reducing or cutting off blood flow beyond the access site. That makes the limb suddenly become ischemic, with diminished or absent pulses, pain, pallor, or paresthesias. Prompt recognition is crucial because it may require urgent intervention—cessation or modification of anticoagulation, vascular assessment, and possibly surgical or endovascular repair to restore perfusion.

Hyperkalemia and nausea are not typical, defining complications of the catheterization itself, though they can occur in broader clinical contexts (contrast effects, volume shifts, or procedural stress) but do not directly signify the same acute risk to distal perfusion. Myocardial infarction can occur during coronary interventions but is less specifically linked to the catheterization procedure in the same immediate way as a vascular injury causing limb ischemia.