Angioplasty: What It Is & What to Expect

Also known as balloon angioplasty or percutaneous coronary intervention, angioplasty is a procedure that is applied especially after a heart attack to open the blockages caused by obstruction or stenosis in the coronary vessels. Although angioplasty was known as a cumbersome and long surgery in the past, it has become a very common and easy procedure with today’s modern medical technology. While the vessels and heart system return to normal after the procedure, patients can return to their homes with minimal pain and recovery time.Angioplasty is known as an operation that patients can choose not only locally but also globally. Patients who want to have angioplasty can choose to do the procedure in another country by researching cardiologists and coronary surgeons abroad.If you want to learn about the angio meaning, what the procedure is like, and options for angioplasty operation abroad, you are in the right place. In this blog post, you can find answers to your questions such as what is angioplasty, how it is done, what does it do, and how international angioplasty processes work.

What is Angioplasty?

Coronary angioplasty is an attempt to open the blocked heart vessels. Balloon application is applied to the diseased vein. This process enables the stenosis and obstruction in the heart vessels to open. Thus, the obstacle in front of the blood flow that the heart needs is removed; the blocked or narrowed part is expanded. The name of this procedure is coronary angioplasty, at times also referred to as an angio seal.

Why is Angioplasty Performed?

Coronary angioplasty is applied to patients who experience coronary artery disease, which occurs due to narrowing and occlusion of the coronary arteries feeding the heart muscle. It is applied immediately in patients who have had a heart attack. Balloon angioplasty can be applied in coronary artery disease.Coronary angioplasty is a condition that occurs due to the imbalance between the blood requirement of the heart and the amount of blood flowing as a result of narrowing or occlusion of the arteries, which are called coronary arteries and which feed the heart muscle. Due to the decrease in the amount of blood coming as a result of the contraction, complaints such as fatigue, tightness in the chest, feeling of pressure, burning, pain that usually hit the left arm, pain radiating to the jaw, and sometimes even stomach pain are observed.Situations that increase the heart’s need for blood, such as exercise and stress, can initiate these complaints. These side effects usually disappear at rest. Coronary angioplasty with stent is generally recommended in cases where the stenosis in the vascular structure of the patient is suitable for this treatment method and sufficient recovery will be achieved or in cases where the risk of surgical treatment is very high.

How is Angioplasty Done?

A thin-structured and pressure-resistant balloon catheter is placed in the narrowed area in the coronary vessel and is then inflated. Thus, the plaque that causes the vessel to narrow is crushed and opened by cracking. The application of balloon angio is just like an angiography, which shows that angiography vs angioplasty is quite similar. The patient is not placed under general anesthesia unless extraordinary situations occur.The patient’s vein is entered through the right groin or wrist, a catheter is inserted into this vein and a dye is injected from here, allowing the vein to be seen. Then, a thin guide wire is sent to the vein with the help of a catheter. If the vein is completely occluded, this guidewire may not pass there.Then the balloon is sent over this wire and inflated in the narrow area of the vein. Afterward, the layers that form the balloon stenosis are pushed to the vascular wall and the balloon is lowered. And again the state of the vein is displayed. It is safe to say that an angioplasty procedure is quite simplistic and safe, especially compared to other coronary surgery alternatives.

Benefits of an Angioplasty Procedure

The greatest benefit of receiving an angiography stent operation is the detection of critical stenosis in the coronary vessel without causing a heart attack or infarction. In patients presenting with complaints such as shortness of breath or chest pain, the most important underlying cause is cardiovascular disease. After evaluating these complaints, the cardiologist may ask you for an angiography test for further examination. Indeed, if stenosis or obstruction is detected in your coronary artery, the diagnosis becomes clearer. The next step is to decide which method to treat this stenosis. There are 3 separate ways:

• Coronary angioplasty (balloon) and stent
• Coronary bypass surgery
• Medication

Your doctor will decide which treatment is best for you based on your angiography. Here, your age, risk factors, and clinical findings are very important. Sometimes there may be instability between bypass or stent. Special scoring methods can give an idea of which method might be better. However, the most important decision-making factor is the evaluation of an experienced interventional cardiologist. Because heart disease is the world’s # 1 cause of death, early diagnosis is vital. The contribution of coronary angiography is great in this regard.

After Angioplasty: What to Expect

After angiography applied through the inguinal vein; 4-6 hours of inpatient rest is required for bleeding control. After that, if there is no problem in the groin area under the control of the physician, the patient is mobilized and discharged following observation in the hospital for about 1-2 hours.When wrist angiography is performed, the patient can be mobilized immediately after the procedure. He can be discharged after 1-2 hours of observation. At home, if nothing specific is recommended by the patient’s doctor, the patient can return to his normal life the next day.It is not recommended to travel for a long time or to lift anything heavy within 1-2 days after angiography applied from the groin area. Also, heavy lifting is not recommended for a few days after angiography from the wrist.

Angioplasty Surgery Options Abroad

The choice of where to have heart surgery is quite important for both the patient and his or her family. While traveling to another country may not be one of your first options, it is worth considering, given the fact that there is quite an impressive number of rising countries around the globe in the cardiovascular surgery area.Today, more and more patients are leaning towards angioplasty surgery abroad in order to receive high-quality and affordable health services, especially considering the budget-friendly angioplasty cost options these countries offer. Various award-winning hospitals and surgeons with years of experience are considered experts in the cutting-edge treatment and treating heart diseases effectively. If you, too, are thinking of looking into options for an angioplasty abroad, click here to browse through the most qualified and world-renowned hospitals in cardiac surgery.