Balloon angioplasty

Now in the treatment and prevention of various pathologies of the heart and blood vessels, balloon angioplasty is most often used. It implies a minimally invasive intervention, which is performed by performing a small puncture in the artery.

What is balloon angioplasty?

The procedure involves stabilizing the blood flow by creating the required lumen in the narrowed vessels. To help her doctor resorts in case of a decrease in the lumen of the vessels of the extremities, coronary, brachiocephalic, cerebral and others, damaged as a result of atherosclerosis , thrombosis or arteritis.

Balloon angioplasty of the arteries of the lower limbs is most often done in patients with diabetic vascular lesions. With the help of the operation it is possible to stabilize the blood flow, accelerate the healing of trophic ulcers and prevent amputation.

Sequence of operation

General anesthesia is not performed, but the patient is given a sedative to relax. The site of the intervention is pre-anesthetized. Then proceed to the main stages:

  1. The catheter is carefully inserted into the vessel, with a miniature canister inserted into it.
  2. When the balloon is brought to the site of stenosis, the balloon inflates walls and destroys cholesterol formation.
  3. After the transluminal balloon angioplasty, the patient is given a nap, and he is still in the intensive care unit for a while, where the doctors are monitoring the ECG.
  4. The catheter is then removed.

The duration of the procedure usually does not exceed two hours. Finally, a bandage is applied to the site of the intervention. The patient is not allowed to move even 24 hours. However, due to minor traumatism, a person can return to the usual way of life in a couple of days.

The favorable outcome of balloon angioplasty of the coronary arteries is now close to one hundred percent. There are rare cases of the formation of secondary stenosis within six months after the manipulation.