Angioplasty

Medications and healthy lifestyle changes are not always enough to prevent a heart attack. A person who presents to the hospital with severe angina or a heart attack likely has one or more completely blocked coronary arteries. The first priority is to quickly restore blood flow, and the next step is to try to reduce the risk of another heart attack. The risk increases especially when the pumping activity of the heart is impaired due to blockage of three or more coronary arteries or blockage of the main left coronary artery (which supplies blood to the muscles of the left ventricle of the heart). Angioplasty or balloon angioplasty is a procedure that opens a blocked artery by pushing the plaque against the artery walls. Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) is another name for angioplasty. This procedure is done by inserting a catheter into an artery (usually in the groin) and passing it through the aorta towards the heart. When this balloon reaches the blockage, it is inflated to press the plaque and widen the arterial duct. Send feedback Side panels History Saved
By opening an artery, angioplasty effectively relieves angina pain and reduces the amount of damage to the heart. Angioplasty may be performed as an emergency procedure in a person who has visited the hospital during a heart attack. Angioplasty may also be done as a non-emergency to relieve the symptoms of angina or to prevent a heart attack.
In most cases of angioplasty (70 to 90 percent of cases), the doctor will insert a stent (a spring or device to support the walls of the artery from the inside) into the artery. Some stents (springs) are coated with drugs that help reduce the risk of blood clots. The reason why stents are not placed in some people is the location and type of lesion.
The main purpose of implanting a stent is to reduce the possibility of re-narrowing of the artery in the same place, which is called restenosis. Re-stenosis is seen in about 40% of people who use only angioplasty and only in 20% of people who use both angioplasty and stenting. For unknown reasons, people with diabetes (blood sugar disease) are at a higher risk of restenosis. Send feedback Side panels History Saved