What To Expect After Coronary Angioplasty

After coronary angioplasty, you will be moved to a special care unit, where you will stay for a few hours or overnight. While you recover in this area, you must lie still for a few hours to allow the blood vessels in your arm or groin (upper thigh) to seal completely.

While you recover, nurses will check your heart rate and blood pressure. They also will check your arm or groin for bleeding. After a few hours, you will be able to walk with help.

The place where the tube was inserted may feel sore or tender for about a week.

Going Home

Most people go home 1 to 2 days after the procedure. When your doctor thinks you're ready to leave the hospital, you will get instructions to follow at home, including:

• How much activity or exercise you can do.
• When you should follow up with your doctor.
• What medicines you should take.
• What you should look for daily when checking for signs of infection around the area where the tube was inserted. Signs of infection may include redness, swelling, or drainage.
• When you should call your doctor. For example, you may need to call if you have a fever or signs of infection, pain or bleeding where the catheter was inserted, or shortness of breath.
• When you should call 9–1–1 (for example, if you have any chest pain).

Your doctor will prescribe medicine to prevent blood clots from forming. Taking your medicine as directed is very important. If a stent was inserted, the medicine reduces the risk that blood clots will form in the stent. Blood clots in the stent can block blood flow and cause a heart attack.

Recovery and Recuperation

Most people recover from angioplasty and return to work about 1 week after being sent home. Your doctor will want to check your progress after you leave the hospital. During the followup visit, your doctor will examine you, make changes to your medicines if needed, do any necessary tests, and check your overall recovery. Use this time to ask questions you may have about activities, medicines, or lifestyle changes, or to talk about any other issues that concern you.

Lifestyle Changes

Although angioplasty can reduce the symptoms of coronary artery disease (CAD), it isn't a cure for CAD or the risk factors that led to it. Making healthy lifestyle changes can help treat CAD and maintain the good results from angioplasty.

Talk with your doctor about your risk factors for CAD and the lifestyle changes you'll need to make. For some people, these changes may be the only treatment needed.

• Follow a healthy diet to prevent or reduce high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol and to maintain a healthy weight.
• Quit smoking if you smoke.
• Be physically active.
• Lose weight if you're overweight or obese.
• Reduce stress.
• Take medicines as your doctor directs to lower high blood pressure or high blood cholesterol.

"Your Guide to Living Well With Heart Disease," from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, will give you more detailed information about making healthy lifestyle changes.

Cardiac Rehabilitation

Your doctor may want you to take part in a cardiac rehabilitation (rehab) program. Cardiac rehab helps people with heart disease recover faster and return to work or daily activities.

Cardiac rehab includes supervised physical activity, education on heart healthy living, and counseling to cut down on stress and help you return to an active life. Your doctor can tell you where to find a cardiac rehab program near your home. "Your Guide to Living Well With Heart Disease," will give you more information on cardiac rehab.