Angioplasty

Image showing the size of a stent; the tiny scaffold used in the artery during an angioplasty

Angioplasty involves cardiologists inserting a thin tube called a catheter into the patient’s leg or wrist and feeding it up through a main artery until it reaches the blockage. A tiny balloon attached to the end of the catheter is then inflated to clear the blockage and a tiny metal scaffold, called a stent (pictured), is inserted into the artery to stop it from narrowing and becoming blocked again. The whole thing normally lasts less than 30 minutes and is carried out under local anaesthetic so that patients are awake. All our patients recieve pain relieving drugs if necessary, and if they wish so can be given medicines to make them less anxious.

You may hear the term PCI instead of angioplasty. PCI stands for percutaneous coronary intervention and means any procedure carried out in your heart arteries using a thin plastic tube. This sometimes involves devices that remove blood clots.