Angioplasty also termed percutaneous coronary intervention, is a procedure used to open clogged heart arteries. Angioplasty uses a tiny balloon catheter that is injected in a blocked blood vessel to help widen it and promote blood flow to your heart.
Angioplasty also termed percutaneous coronary intervention, is a procedure used to open clogged heart arteries. Angioplasty uses a tiny balloon catheter that is injected in a blocked blood vessel to help widen it and promote blood flow to your heart.
Angioplasty may be a treatment choice for you if:
Your doctor will give you instructions to help you prepare
Usually, you’ll require to stop eating or drinking six to eight hours before an angiography.
Take recommended medications with only small sips of water on the morning of your procedure.
Gather all of your medicines to take to the hospital with you, including nitroglycerin, if you take it.
You’ll receive fluids, medications to relax you, and blood-thinning medications (anticoagulants) through an IV catheter in your hand or arm.
Your heart rate, pulse, and oxygen level will be monitored during the procedure.
Your doctor will prepare the space in your leg, arm, or wrist with an antiseptic solution and will put a sterile sheet over your body.
Your doctor will use a local anesthetic to numb the area where a very small incision will be made. A small, thin guidewire is then inserted in the blood vessel.
When you return home, drink lots of fluids to help flush your body of the contrast dye. Ask your doctor about other restrictions inactivity.
Call your doctor’s office or hospital staff quickly if:
The site where your catheter was inserted starts bleeding or swelling
You develop pain at the site where your catheter was inserted
You have signs of infection, such as redness, swelling, drainage or fever
The most common angioplasty risks include:
Re-narrowing of your artery: When angioplasty is mixed with drug-eluting stent placement, there’s a small risk the treated artery may become clogged again (less than 5%).
Blood clots: Blood clots can develop within stents even after the procedure. These clots can close the artery, causing a heart attack. It’s important to take aspirin in combination with clopidogrel, prasugrel, or another medication that helps reduce the risk of blood clots.
Bleeding: You may have bleeding in your leg or arm where a catheter was injected. Usually, this simply results in a bruise, but sometimes serious bleeding happens and may require a blood transfusion or surgical procedures.
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