What is the Procedure for Angioplasty?

Understanding Angioplasty: How a Tiny Balloon Can Save a Life

Angioplasty works on clearing blockages to improve heart health. Can you imagine doctors restoring blood flow and reducing heart attack risk just by inflating a tiny balloon in the artery blockages? But how does angioplasty work? Let’s take a look at the step-by-step procedure, including risk factors, benefits and post-surgery care.  

Angioplasty Overview

In the medical industry, angioplasty is popular as a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), a conventional treatment for heart attacks and coronary heart diseases. Angioplasty is a minimally invasive medical procedure that opens narrowed or blocked coronary arteries to restore blood flow.

Angioplasty Procedure Details 

In general, the following steps are for the angioplasty procedure:  

Pre-Procedure Preparation

Essential steps for preparation:

1. Medical evaluation through an electrocardiogram, blood tests and angiography (X-ray)
2. Medication adjustment as per the cardiologist's prescription
3. Doctors suggest fasting for 2 - 4 hours before surgery.
4. Understand the risks and benefits of angioplasty and sign the consent form.

Steps During Procedure

After an initial consultation, doctors will start the final procedure steps, including:

• Step 1: The patient will lie on a table for the procedure.  
• Step 2: Doctors will numb the area with local anaesthesia and insert a thin, long tube-shaped catheter into the wrist or femoral artery.
• Step 3: The catheter threads into the blocked artery based on the X-ray visualised image.   
• Step 4: In this surgical stage, doctors inject a special liquid dye into the affected artery for visualisation of blockages.   
• Step 5: A balloon-tipped catheter is usually pushed through the first one and then routed to the heart.
• Step 6: After that, doctors remove the blockages and balloon and place a permanent stent to keep the artery open.
• Step 7: If needed, drug-eluting stents are used to reduce restenosis recurrence of blockages and narrowing of coronary arteries.

Post-Procedure Care

After the surgery procedure, patients will shift to the recovery area and be guided to the following for faster recovery:

1. Timely monitoring and medication in the hospital for managing bleeding from the catheter site.
2. Home instructions, including medication prescription, hygiene maintenance of the catheter site and avoidance of vigorous-intensive activities
3. Avoid smoking and drinking, control cholesterol, balance weight and do suggestive yoga.  Activity restrictions: Avoid heavy lifting (>10 lbs) for 1 week (radial) or 2 weeks (femoral).
4. Dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) (e.g., aspirin + clopidogrel) for 6–12 months to prevent stent thrombosis.

Risk for Angioplasty

Angioplasty has some risks that need to be managed with proper medication and care; these are:

1. Damage to kidneys, blood vessels, or arteries
2. Continuous bleeding from the catheter insertion site in the wrist or groin
3. Chest pain
4. Allergic reaction to the special liquid dye
5. Abnormal heartbeat
6. Stroke
7. Blood clot
8. A tear in a blood vessel or artery
9. Death

Benefits of Angioplasty

This conventional treatment has several benefits towards improving life quality, including:

• Reduce damage to the heart during and after a heart attack.
• Clear blockages of carotid arteries and prevent stroke.
• Renal artery angioplasty restores oxygen and blood flow to improve kidney function.
• It lowers blood clotting rates and heart failure risk.
• Helps to reduce heart muscle damage and mortality rates.
• Alleviates plaque in the arteries of the legs, arms and pelvis to prevent the risk of gangrene and ulcers.

In the procedure, angioplasty involves a tiny clinical balloon containing a thin tube. During angioplasty, it is inserted through the blood vessels to displace clots and open the artery. Angioplasty reduces chest pain and breathing difficulties, removes blood clotting, opens the artery to prevent heart attack and failure risks and improves life quality.