Angioplasty is a non-surgical procedure used to open blocked heart arteries. What happens during angioplasty is that a cardiac catheterization will take place. The patient will receive local anesthesia as well as medication to relax his/her body. The next step is to insert a sheath into an artery. Then, a catheter (a long, narrow, hollow tube) is passed through the sheath and is then guided up the blood vessel to the arteries near the heart.

Angioplasty Balloon

The doctor will insert a small amount of contrast material through the catheter that will travel through the heart’s chambers, valves, and major vessels. From the contrast material, the doctors can tell whether arteries are narrowed and whether heart valves are functioning correctly. Lastly, the doctor will perform a intervention procedure. There are 5 different procedures for intervention:

Balloon angioplasty: this is where a catheter with a small balloon tip is inflated to compress the fatty parts into the walls of the artery and stretch the artery open to increase blood flow.

• Stent: this is where a small metal mesh tube acts as a scaffold to provide support inside your artery.
• Rotoblation: this is where an acorn-shaped, diamond-coated tip catheter spins around at high speed and grinds away plaque on your artery walls.
• Atherectomy: This is a hollow cylindrical catheter with a ballon that also pushes against the fatty materials. A blade within the cylinder rotates and shaves off any fat that protrudes.
• Cutting balloon:  this is a cutting balloon catheter with a small blade. The blades turn on when the balloon is inflated.

Following The Procedure

After an angioplasty, you will have to lay flat and not bend your legs for about 6 hours because a groin sheath is in place. You should not eat or drink anything except clear liquids until the sheath is removed. When you resume eating, you should have a low-cholesterol and low-salt diet. Notify your doctor immediately if you have a fever or experience chest pain.