Coronary angioplasty - Procedure, Surgery, Ananthapuri Hospitals , Trivandrum

DR.Shifas Babu M (MD(Gen Med), DM(Cardio), DNB(Cardio)) writes:

I deal with a lot of heart patients on a daily basis. When the patient is told that he or she is required to do an angioplasty, they get nervous. “How serious is an angioplasty, doctor. Is it a major surgery?” “Won’t it take a long time to recover?” are some questions that I get from them. Speaking of which, I also hear a lot of misconceptions about angioplasty. Some believe angioplasty will damage their kidneys because of the dye used. Which is to say, there is a general lack of awareness about this life-saving procedure and that is why I have decided to enlighten you and clear any misconceptions about it. 

So, what is angioplasty? 

Angioplasty is a minimally invasive non-surgical treatment done to remove blockages in the heart blood vessel. In this procedure, a tube called a catheter is passed to the heart blood vessel. A balloon attached to the tip of this tube dilates to open up the narrowed segment of the blood vessel. Angioplasty is often combined with the permanent placement of a small wire mesh tube called a stent to keep the narrowed artery open. 

Do doctors always place stents during angioplasty?

Majority of the angioplasty done these days involves placing stents as it reduces the chances of blockage recurrence. But sometimes, a doctor may remove the blockage by balloon dilatation alone.

When is an angioplasty performed? 

Generally, angioplasty is done in cases where a blockage narrows the heart blood vessels by 70% or more. Angioplasty is also done as an emergency procedure during a heart attack or as an elective procedure for blockages which causes angina, a type of chest pain.

How serious is an angioplasty? What are the risks?

Angioplasty is a relatively safe procedure with success rates of more than 99%. But as with any procedure, angioplasty may give rise to problems such as bleeding, clotting, abnormal heartbeat and so on. Having said that, all these risks are rare and can be managed safely. 

How long will it take for me to recover?

The recovery period depends on the individual’s health condition and fitness levels. A doctor may recommend a time period after analysing your situation. 

Generally: 

• If you’ve had a non-emergency angioplasty, you may get back to moderate activities in a week. However, you may need to avoid strenuous activities like lifting heavy weights for 3 or 4 weeks
• If you've had an emergency angioplasty, it may be several weeks or months before you recover completely

Why should I resume medications if the angioplasty has fixed my heart problem?

First of all, angioplasty does not fix heart disease. It only treats the narrowed blockage, not the cause of the blockage - which is plaque buildup in the blood vessel. 

Second of all, angioplasty does not guarantee that there will be no recurrence of blockage. There is still a 5% chance of re-blockage in the stent. You will have to take blood thinners such as aspirin, cholesterol-lowering medications and so on, as recommended by a doctor. 

Now, coming to a common misconception among the general public - 

Does angioplasty damage my kidneys?

I understand that this question arises because of the dye that is used for angiogram and angioplasty. But to clarify - no - the dye used for angiogram and angioplasty which we call the ‘contrast’ does not generally create any damage to the kidneys.

Angioplasty at Ananthapuri Hospitals and Research Institute

The general public is in the notion that hospitals in tier 3 cities cannot effectively handle critical emergencies at any point in time. But this is not true. Ananthapuri Hospitals provides round the clock emergency angiogram and angioplasty for acute heart attacks - which is the gold standard therapy for a heart attack to date. 

Cardiovascular Centre at Ananthapuri Hospitals & Research Institute, headed by Professor C. G. Bahuleyan, has state of the art technology to diagnose and treat patients with diverse types of cardiac problem. 

To book an appointment, call us at +91 9400332777 or visit our hospital at Chacka, NH Bypass, Thiruvananthapuram.

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• Coronary Angioplasty