Interventional Cardiology
Coronary Angiography
Coronary Angiography is an important diagnostic tool for visualizing the heart’s coronary arteries. The test helps diagnose atherosclerosis, coronary artery disease, congenital heart disease, heart failure, and heart valve disease (narrowing or leaking in one or more of the heart valves).
Stenting & Angioplasty
An essential component of cardiovascular care, stenting is a catheter-based procedure used to open narrowed or clogged blood vessels, usually the coronary and peripheral arteries. The stent itself is a small, mesh-like tube made of metal or a polymer that is inserted into a vessel to keep it open and allow normal blood flow — like supporting the walls of a tunnel so traffic can flow unimpeded.
If your doctor prescribes a coronary angioplasty, you will likely be awake for the intervention. While some people need or prefer general anesthesia, the amount of sedation required for coronary angioplasty and stenting depends on your general health and reasons for having the procedure.
The procedure begins with the insertion of a catheter into a vein in your wrist or groin. At the tip of the catheter is a tiny uninflated balloon. With the help of guided imagery, your interventional cardiologist guides the catheter up to the blocked or narrowed blood vessel. The balloon inflates to widen the artery. Then, the balloon is deflated and retrieved from your body and a stent is guided up to the blockage site to keep the artery open. Most stents are coated with a sustained-release medicine that prevents the artery from re-narrowing.