The Care You Deserve

ANGIOPLASTY AND STENTING

• This is a simple procedure in hospital that is done via a catheter inserted into an artery in your wrist or groin.  It is an excellent way to help treat angina and to help reduce the risk of a small warning heart attack becoming worse.  Usually a stent or metal coil is passaged into the coronary artery and is left in the vessel to squeeze the blockage to the outside of the vessel and keep the lumen widely patent.  The vast majority of patients do very well. The risk of major problems is very low about 0.4-1%.  

• Stenting does NOT replace the need to treat the underlying disease process.  It is still important to eat a healthy diet, take your cholesterol and blood pressure tablets, to avoid cigarette smoking and to exercise regularly.  Otherwise it very likely that other blockages will form elsewhere.

• The procedure takes about an hour to hour and a half to perform.  You are usually given medications to make you sleepy and relaxed during the procedure.  You may not remember much about what you are told about the procedure for two to three hours afterwards while these medications wear off. Patients are monitored for a night following the procedure.  Most patients are in hospital for a day and a night

• You will need to be on blood thinners - usually aspirin and  Brilinta/Effient/Plavix to prevent the stent from clotting off while it gets covered by the body's cells. You must NOT stop these medications without your cardiologist's express permission.  Usually these medications are continued for one year and then aspirin taken for life

• Occasionally patients need a urinary catheter inserted after the procedure particularly if they have problems passing urine normally.  The risk for this can be minimised by emptying your bladder immediately prior to the procedure.

• Driving should be avoided for 48 hours post procedure and heavy lifting for one week.

•  Please let me know if you are allergic to medications particularly IV contrast or have kidney disease, have bleeding problems or are considering other surgical procedures in the coming 12 months

• All procedures have risks and benefits.  Major problems such as death, stroke, heart attack and kidney failure occur in about 0.5-1% of patients but the actual risk depends on the characteristics of the blockage being treated and the extent of other disease processes in the body.  You should discuss these with your doctor and seek a second opinion if in doubt prior to having any interventional procedure or operation