Angiography - Complications 

Minor complications that can occur following an angiography procedure include:

• excessive bleeding at the site of the incision
• infection at the incision site, which may need to be treated with antibiotics
• a mid to moderate allergic reaction to the contrast dye; this can usually be controlled using anti-allergy medication

More serious complications can include:

• blood clots
• kidney damage
• stroke
• blood vessel damage
• a serious, life-threatening allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) to the contrast dye

These serious complications are very rare. For example, only an estimated 1 in 1,000 people will have a stroke as a result of having an angiography; approximately 1 in 50,000 to 150,000 people will experience anaphylaxis.

In almost every case, the benefit of having an angiography far outweighs any potential risk.