Coronary arteries that become constricted due to plaque buildup can put you at risk for a heart attack. To drastically reduce your risk, cardiologists Jyoti Mohanty, MD, Narayn Pillai, MD, FACC, FSCAI, and Suneet Kukreja, MD, at Advanced Cardiovascular Consultants may recommend angioplasty — minimally invasive surgery to widen coronary arteries and improve blood flow in your heart. To consult with them about angioplasty, call their offices in West Palm Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, or Jupiter, Florida, or book a consultation online today.
Angioplasty, also called balloon angioplasty, is a procedure that expands a blocked or constricted artery. During the angioplasty procedure, your provider runs a thin tube through a blood vessel in your arm or your groin until it reaches the artery blockage. They inject a contrast dye through the tube and locate the arterial blockage using X-ray imaging.
Through the tube, your provider inflates a tiny balloon on its end to widen the artery. They may also use the angioplasty to place a stent, which is a wire mesh tube that can hold an artery open. The procedure can drastically lower your risk of certain cardiovascular complications and requires little recovery time.
Angioplasty is a treatment for blocked or narrowed arteries in the region around your heart, called your coronary arteries. They can become narrower as cholesterol and other substances build up along their walls into a waxy substance called plaque. This can reduce blood flow to your heart and put you at risk for complications like chest pain and heart attacks.
Angioplasty is minimally invasive, so you won’t have to prepare as much as you would for other cardiovascular surgeries. At Advanced Cardiovascular Consultants, the team tells you what you’ll need to do in preparation for the procedure to minimize your risk of complications. Your preparation may involve:
Your provider at Advanced Cardiovascular Consultants also tells you how to take care of yourself after your angioplasty to maintain your cardiovascular health and avoid the need for other procedures. Depending on your current habits, their instructions may include stopping smoking, cleaning up your diet, and exercising more often.
After the angioplasty, you’ll need to stay in the hospital overnight as your providers monitor your heart. In the days following the procedure, you should drink plenty of water to help flush the contrast dye from your system and restrict strenuous activity. Within a week, you can go back to work and continue your regular routine.
You should call Advanced Cardiovascular Consultants if you experience any unusual symptoms after the procedure, like bleeding from the injection site, new or worsening chest pain, or weakness.
To find out if you need an angioplasty to improve your cardiovascular health, call Advanced Cardiovascular Consultants, or book an appointment online today.