Coronary angioplasty - Heart Attack
With this procedure, a balloon is used to create a bigger opening in the vessel to increase blood flow. This is often followed by the insertion of a stent into the coronary artery to help keep the vessel open. Although angioplasty is performed in other blood vessels elsewhere in the body, percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) refers to angioplasty in the coronary arteries to permit more blood flow into the heart. PCI is also called percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA). There are several types of PTCA procedures, including:
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Balloon angioplasty. A small balloon is inflated inside the blocked artery to open the blocked area.
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Coronary artery stent. A tiny coil is expanded inside the blocked artery to open the blocked area and is left in place to keep the artery open.
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Atherectomy. The blocked area inside the artery is cut away by a tiny device on the end of a catheter.
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Laser angioplasty. A laser used to "vaporize" the blockage in the artery