You've probably heard of angioplasty, a common medical procedure that can open arteries in your heart and other parts of your body. If you have a blocked or narrowed artery and need this procedure, you're probably wondering how it works, and what you can expect before, during and after.
What Is Angioplasty?
When your arteries become blocked or narrowed, the blood can not flow through them easily. Angioplasty, also called percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) , is a minimally invasive procedure that uses a catheter and balloon to open blocked arteries and restore healthy blood flow.
Angioplasty is often used to treat blocked coronary, or heart, arteries, but it can also be used for blocked arteries in other parts of your body such as the neck, arms, legs and the pond.
What should I expect during angioplasty?
during the procedure you will be awake, but you medicine to help you relax.
depending on your condition and medical history, your doctor will choose an artery in the leg or arm to insert the catheter. You may feel some pressure when your doctor puts the catheter and the insertion area can be painful after. Many people have bruising as well.
Once the catheter is inserted, your doctor son a very thin wire in your artery and up another catheter with a balloon at its end on the wire. Your doctor inflates the balloon, pushing the plaque out of the way and open your artery to allow your blood to circulate better.
If necessary, your doctor may inflate the balloon several times. Sometimes, a wire mesh tube called a stent is placed in the artery to hold it open.
You may need to lie on your back for several hours after the procedure, and your doctor and nurses will check on you often to make sure you do not have signs of bleeding. Most people remain in hospital overnight after the procedure.
Before you go home, you will get information on what to do, not do, and when you can return to your normal activities.
Are there risks with angioplasty?
Angioplasty is a common procedure that usually causes no complications, but like any medical procedure, there are risks. These can include:
- Bleeding
- The damage to the artery
- An allergic reaction to the dye
- Arrhythmia, or irregular heartbeat
- the need for a transplant coronary emergency bypass surgery, if your artery closes instead of opening
- kidney damage dye
- crisis heart
- stroke
for more information on PCI, visit the heart Institute and UPMC vascular or contact us at 1-855-UPMC-HVI (876-2484).
0 Komentar