Coronary Angioplasty

The insertion of a catheter carrying a balloon through an artery in the groin and into a blocked artery in the heart. The balloon is repeatedly inflated and deflated in order to open the artery to blood flow.

Parts of the Body Involved

  • An artery in the groin
  • Arteries leading to the heart
  • Coronary (heart) arteries

Reasons for Procedure

To open a blocked artery in the heart and allow more normal blood flow through that artery

Risk Factors for Complications during the Procedure

  • Obesity
  • Smoking
  • Bleeding disorder
  • Age: 60 or older
  • Recent pneumonia
  • Recent heart attack
  • Diabetes
  • Angina
  • Hardening of blood vessels

What to Expect

Prior to Procedure

Your doctor will likely do the following:
  • Blood tests, especially if you are taking certain medications (high blood pressure pills, blood thinners, heart medications)
  • Electrocardiogram (ECG, EKG)

Outcome

Your artery should be considerably more open, allowing better blood flow to feed the heart muscle. This may mean that youll no longer have chest pain that you previously experienced, or it may mean that your tolerance for exercise will increase. Sometimes, however, the procedure isnt successful, or the artery narrows again, in which case you may require repeat angioplasty or coronary artery bypass graft surgery.

Call Your Doctor If Any of the Following Occurs

  • Chest pain
  • Your arm or leg becomes painful, blue, cold, numb, tingly, swollen, or increasingly bruised
  • Cough, shortness of breath, chest pain, or severe nausea or vomiting
  • Redness, swelling, increasing pain, excessive bleeding, or discharge from the insertion site in the groin
  • Signs of infection, including fever and chills