Coronary Angioplasty
Angioplasty is a medical procedure used to open up narrow or blocked blood vessels. The procedure involves inserting a small, hollow tube known as a catheter through the vessel and guiding it to the location of the blockage. Once in place, a wire is passed into the blocked artery, followed by the placement of a balloon catheter against the block and the inflation of the balloon, which expands the vessel and restores blood flow. Finally, a Drug Eluting stent is placed. Cardiologists perform angioplasty to treat a variety of conditions, including heart disease, peripheral artery disease, and renal artery disease.
Angioplasty is a treatment for coronary artery disease (CAD), which is commonly defined as arterial blockage. You may be a good candidate for angioplasty if you have excessive narrowing or blockage of a coronary artery, or if you have CAD symptoms. Some of the indicators for this could be:
- Experience of chest pain
- Shortness of breath.
- If you already have a survival history of heart attacks.
- Significant narrowing of arteries even after previously performed graft surgery.
- If you have any of these symptoms, the doctor may recommend an angioplasty.
