I’ve experienced chest pain and dizziness yesterday, I went to er and they left me in hospital over night. EKG was ok, but cardiologist wanted me to have an angiogram. I ma allergic to shellfish and I’ve been told that I can have this test. Is there a synthetic alternative to the squid-ink derived dyes used in an angiogram? Any info about this would be helpful.
Hi, I ask my cardiologist about this. I was very intrigued; I didn’t know they are using the squid-ink dye in an angiogram. However, my doc told me that there are medications that can be given within the previous 12-24 hours period to patients with food allergies such as shellfish or allergy to the dye itself. These medications, steroids and antihistamines, will reduce the incidence of such allergic reactions but it does not reduce the risk to zero. If your cardiologist does not feel comfortable performing this, most probably he thinks that the risks of performing the angiogram with yours history of allergy, outweighs the benefits.