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When Is Coronary Angioplasty Done?
Your doctor may consider angioplasty if lifestyle changes and medications do not improve your symptoms of coronary artery disease (CAD). It is an alternative to coronary bypass surgery, which is a major operation.
Your doctor will recommend angioplasty or bypass surgery based on:
- The number of blocked arteries you have
- Severity of the blockages
- Location of the blockages
- Whether you have other medical conditions
- Your surgical risk for bypass
- Your preference.
Angioplasty is often selected if:
- The blockage is small
- The blockage can be reached by angioplasty
- The artery affected is not the main artery that supplies blood to the left side of the heart
- You do not have heart failure.
The advantages of angioplasty are that it:
- Is not surgery
- Is done with local anesthesia (an-es-THEE-Z-ah) and mild sedation
- Has a shorter recovery period than bypass surgery
- Provides similar survival outcomes as bypass surgery in some patients.
The disadvantage of angioplasty is that the artery may close again. If this happens, you will need a second angioplasty or bypass surgery. Also, bypass surgery tends to do a more complete job of restoring the heart's blood supply.
Your doctor will discuss treatment options with you and recommend the best procedure for you.
Coronary angioplasty is also used as an emergency procedure during a heart attack to quickly open a blocked coronary artery. This minimizes the damage during a heart attack and restores blood flow to the heart muscle. There are also drugs that can be used to dissolve clots in a coronary artery. These drugs are most effective when given soon after the heart attack begins (within 3 hours). Early angioplasty, without drugs that dissolve clots, also minimizes damage to the heart muscle.
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Coronary Angioplasty:
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