When an angiogram reveals a blockage in a coronary artery, the doctor may decide to perform an angioplasty, sometimes directly following the angiogram. Angioplasties may be done to expand a partially blocked artery or during or after a heart attack when the need to open blocked vessels is critical.

During an angioplasty, a small balloon at the end of the catheter is inflated, sometimes several times, to widen the artery. This typically reduces blockage from 70-90% to about 20-30%. When the artery is widened, a stent, a tiny coil of wire mesh, only about three quarters of an inch long, is often inserted into the artery to keep it from narrowing again. The balloon is again inflated and the stent springs open. The balloon catheter is removed and the stent remains permanently in place. Drug-eluting stents are coated with medication and may be used to prevent clot formation and restenosis (renarrowing of the artery).

Most angioplasty patients stay in the hospital overnight. Typically, aspirin or another medication is prescribed to keep the blood from clotting. If a stent has been implanted, clopidrel will usually be prescribed to keep clots from forming inside the stent.

A successful angioplasty will immediately relieve chest pain, increase blood flow to your heart and throughout your body, and give you more energy. But angioplasty is only one alternative for treating blocked arteries. Other options are drug therapy to dissolve clots, or coronary artery bypass graft surgery, especially for patients with small arteries or with multiple or severe blockages.

More on this topic

When Arteries Become Blocked (VIDEO)
Watch an Angioplasty Procedure (VIDEO)
Blood Supply to the Heart
Atherosclerosis & Your Heart
Detecting Blockages
Angiogram Imaging
How Angioplasty Works
Angioplasty Risks & Complications
Preventing an Angioplasty
3D Heart

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