Coronary angioplasty is a keyhole procedure to open up narrowings in the arteries supplying the heart. It uses a small balloon to stretch open the narrowing, and a small mesh tube called a stent to keep the artery open.
This is a less invasive treatment procedure for narrowing of the coronary arteries. You will have or be suspected to have a narrowing in one of the arteries supplying the heart. There are many ways of treating chest pain due to problems with the arteries (angina) including tablets, but angioplasty is often performed in this situation. In emergencies where the artery has closed up, angioplasty is often undertaken as an emergency.
This procedure is usually performed through a blood vessel in the arm called radial artery but can also be undertaken when required from the femoral artery at the top of the leg. Local anaesthetic is injected and a small tube with a valve on (sheath) is placed in the artery which acts as an access point for the procedure.
Catheters (long thin flexible tubes) can then be inserted through the sheath and guided carefully around to the heart. You may feel some pushing and pulling where the tube is inserted in the wrist or groin. Contrast is then injected through the tube and into the coronary arteries whilst an X-ray camera takes pictures. The X-ray pictures help your doctor decide whether and and angioplasty is required and which narrowings need treatment. Very fine wires are passed across the narrowing and a balloon on the end of the wire is inflated to open up the narrowing. At this point in the procedure you may feel some chest pain. A small metal mesh tube is then passed across the narrowing and inflated to keep the artery from renarrowing.
The procedure usually lasts an hour or so, but take longer if the narrowings are complicated or there are multiple narrowings.
If your procedure has been completed through the wrist, a tight bracelet will be applied as the tubing is removed from your rest. You will be able to sit up straight away and go home shortly after. If your procedure has been completed through the groin, you will have to lie flat in bed for some time and be monitored.
Most patients coming to hospital with a heart attack will be offered an angioplasty. For patients with chest pain when they exercise (angina) your doctor will discuss the pros and cons of angioplasty. The benefits are to reduce chest pain symptoms and allow you to exercise.
The risks are of bruising or bleeding at the wrist or leg, and of damage to the artery which may need a small procedure. It can also result problems with the kidney function (usually temporary) and there is a small risk of a reaction to the contrast used in the procedure. The risk of serious complication in the procedure is usually less than 1 in 100 but includes damage to the coronary arteries causing a heart attack and needing further angioplasty or coronary artery bypass surgery. There is also a small risk of stroke. Very rarely, these serious complications can lead to death.
Coronary angioplasty is a potentially useful procedure to treat angina and breathlessness, and our expert Consultant Card Our cardiologists are available for consultation on any day of the week and weekends as well.
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