Angioplasty

  • A coronary angioplasty is a type of minimally invasive procedure to treat CAD.
  • For this procedure, a heart doctor threads a small tube, called a catheter, through an artery in your groin or arm. The tube then goes to an artery leading to the site of your blockage. A small balloon on the tip of the catheter is slowly inflated to open the blockage.

This procedure can be performed with a balloon catheter alone, or can involve a stent implant for the heart.

There are risks associated with any angioplasty or a stent implant procedure.

It is important to talk about these risks with your heart doctor. They may include infection, allergic reactions, coronary vessel damage, blood clots and death.

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Stenting for the heart

  • Stenting is another type of minimally invasive procedure to treat CAD.
  • This procedure opens narrowed or blocked arteries.
  • During this procedure, a small mesh tube is put into your artery to widen it and restore blood flow to your heart. This mesh tube is called a stent. Once the stent is placed into the coronary artery, it expands with the inflation of a balloon catheter. The stent is left in the artery to keep it open and helps restore blood flow to the heart.
  • Depending on your needs, your doctor may use a small metal stent alone or choose one that is coated with a medicine that helps keep the artery from getting narrow or blocked again.

Stents that are used to treat CAD include:

Bare-metal stents: a metal tube specially designed to provide support to help keep the artery open after angioplasty

Drug-eluting stents: a bare metal stent coated with a drug, that is released from the stent into the arterial wall over the time when a re-blockage is most likely to happen.

  • The SYNERGY Stent has a special coating that dissolves after it does its job—reducing the swelling (inflammation) that naturally happens when a stent is put in—for quick healing. The part that stays in provides ongoing protection that helps keep a clear path for blood to flow to the heart.

Ask your doctor for more information about the options available to you.

There are risks associated with any angioplasty or a stent implant procedure. It is important to talk about these risks with your heart doctor. They may include infection, allergic reactions, coronary vessel damage, blood clots and death.

Learn more about stents »