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Key Points
- Coronary angioplasty is a medical procedure in
which a balloon is used to open a blockage in a coronary (heart) artery
narrowed by
atherosclerosis.
This procedure improves blood flow to the heart.
- Atherosclerosis is a condition in which a
material called plaque builds up on the inner walls of the arteries.
When atherosclerosis affects the coronary arteries, the condition is called
coronary
artery disease (CAD).
- Angioplasty can improve some of the symptoms of
CAD, such as
angina
(chest pain) and shortness of breath. It also can reduce damage to the heart
muscle from a
heart
attack and reduce the risk of death in some patients.
- You may need angioplasty if medicines and
lifestyle changes haven't improved your symptoms of CAD. You also may need
angioplasty as emergency treatment during a heart attack.
- Angioplasty is less invasive than surgery.
General anesthesia isn't needed. You will be given medicines to help you relax,
but you will be awake during the procedure.
- Angioplasty is performed in a special part of the
hospital called the cardiac catheterization laboratory.
- Before angioplasty is done, your doctor will need
to know whether your coronary arteries are blocked. To find out, he or she will
do an angiogram
and take an x-ray picture of your arteries to show any blockages and where
they're located. Once your doctor has this information, the angioplasty can
proceed.
- During angioplasty, your doctor will use a small
tube called a catheter with a balloon at the end. He or she will thread the
balloon through an artery to the blockage. The balloon is blown up (inflated),
pushing the plaque outward against the artery wall. This opens the artery more
and improves blood flow through it.
- During angioplasty, a
stent
(mesh tube) is often placed in the artery that has been opened. The stent
reduces the chance that the artery will become blocked again in the future. The
stent remains in place after the procedure.
- Most people go home 1 to 2 days after having
angioplasty. Full recovery from the procedure is usually 1 week or less.
- Lifestyles changes are recommended after
angioplasty to improve CAD and to prevent the arteries from becoming narrowed
or blocked again. Lifestyle changes include a healthy diet, weight control,
medicines to lower
high
blood pressure and
high
blood cholesterol, regular physical activity, and quitting smoking.
- Angioplasty is a common medical procedure and is
generally safe, but there is a small risk of serious complications.
- Renarrowing of the treated artery and growth of
scar tissue within a stent can occur. The use of medicine-coated stents can
lower the chance of this happening, but these stents aren't without risk. In
some cases, blood clots can form in the medicine-coated stents.
- Research on angioplasty is ongoing to make it
safer and more effective, to prevent treated arteries from closing again, and
to make the procedure an option for more people.
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What Are the Risks Links
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