Dr. Manoj J Pradhan, is the leading name in Cardio Thoracic surgery in Pune. He is attached to several reputed cardiac institutes in Pune. He is a visiting surgeon to the leading hospitals in Maharashtra. He has an experience of over 22 years in Cardio Thoracic surgery...

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Angioplasty with Stents – How the Procedure Works

PCI is a relatively non-invasive procedure for treating symptoms of certain degrees of CAD. More than 1 million PCI procedures are performed in the U.S. each year.12 Following PCI, patients usually spend only one or two nights in the hospital and may return to work within a few days. PCI may be performed at the time a patient undergoes an angiogram, which determines the extent of the CAD. However, your angiogram should be reviewed by your entire heart team prior to the placement of a stent to ensure that is the right treatment for you.

  • The most common PCI procedure involves threading a balloon-tipped catheter from an artery in the groin to the narrowed portion of the coronary artery. The balloon is inflated to compress the plaque and create a larger opening for blood flow. This portion of PCI is called balloon angioplasty.13
  • A stent is then placed to help keep the vessel wall open. The use of stents has significantly improved the safety of PCI.14

PCI versus CABG consideration 15 16 17

Benefits

  • Less invasive with significantly less pain
  • Faster recovery
  • Much more expensive – due to cost of stents
  • Lower risk of complications during and immediately following the procedure

Risks

  • Increased risk of the treated vessel reclosing and need for repeat angioplasties
  • Less complete reversal of ischemia and angina
  • Angioplasty patients who later require CABG may have poorer outcomes than patients who have not had a previous angioplasties.18 19 20