ANGIOPLASTY

Coronary Angioplasty is a procedure to improve blood flow to the coronary arteries that have become narrowed or blocked. Your cardiovascular system supplies oxygen-rich blood to the heart. When you have coronary artery disease, a sticky substance called plaque forms in the coronary arteries. Plaque is made up of cholesterol, calcium, and other substances in your blood. Over time, it can narrow your arteries or block them completely. When this happens, some parts of your heart do not get enough blood. Coronary angioplasty expands the closed portion of the artery so that more blood can enter. Also called percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

WHAT CONDITIONS TREAT CORONARY ANGIOPLASTY?

Doctors use Coronary Angioplasty to:

• Reduce chest pain due to blockage of the coronary arteries. This type of pain is called angina. There are different types of angina. Coronary Angioplasty treats certain types.
• Minimize heart damage during or shortly after a heart attack. In such a scenario, Coronary Angioplasty is considered to be emergency treatment.

Coronary Angioplasty is not curable for coronary artery disease. To help prevent plaque, you will need to take any prescribed medication, eat a healthy diet, and exercise regularly.

WHAT HAPPENS DURING CORONARY ANGIOPLASTY?

Coronary Angioplasty is a percutaneous procedure carried out in cardiac catheterization laboratory (Cath Lab). You will be awake and asleep. You will receive a medication that will help you relax with the injection line (IV).

Coronary Angioplasty is done through blood vessels inwrist, or groin. Your doctor will:

• Make a small hole in the area to insert a small catheter into the bloodstream.
• Insert a tube into the vessel and your heart, using x-rays as a guide.
• Inject the contrasting dye into your veins. The dye highlights your heart and blood vessels in x-rays.

Direct the balloon inside the block and inflate it to push the plaque flat into the artery wall. Sometimes insert a small mesh tube into the bloodstream to keep it open. The tube is called a stent. Nowadays drug coated stents are used to prevent further narrowing inside the stent in future.

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER CORONARY ANGIOPLASTY?

If you have had Coronary Angioplasty for chest pain, you will go to the rescue room for a few hours. You can stay in the hospital all night. Your doctor will likely prescribe blood thinners. Most people can return to their normal activities after a week.

If you have acute coronary angioplasty of a heart attack, you will need to stay in the hospital for about a few more days.