Angioplasty Health Video

Angioplasty is the mechanical widening of blood vessels used to help sufferers of obstructed vessels. Learn more about angioplasty, including frequency and dangers, in this video.

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About this Author

Dr. Dave Weiland has been practicing cardiology in the Bay Area for 21 years. On top of operating a practive in San Pablo, CA for the past 15 years, Dr. Weiland works with eight other doctors in traveling all around the Bay Area to treat patients everywhere. Dr. Weiland graduated from the Ohio State Medical School in 1981; following that with an additional six years of study at Tufts University. Dr. Weiland received his training in cardiology at the New England Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts, and now teaches medical students about cardiology.

DR. DAVE WEILAND: Hi. this Dr. David Weiland. We're now going to talk about angioplasty. Angioplasty is a term that refers to putting a balloon into an arterial segment, putting pressure into the balloon, and stretching out the artery. Generally, when a cardiologist talks about angioplasty, he is talking angioplasty of an artery of the heart. In this day and age, we generally put stents into the artery. Stents are mounted on a balloon, just like a regular angioplasty, but the stent is left behind. It provides a metal framework to increase the blood flow through that artery and keep the artery open. Angioplasty can also be done on arteries to the brain, to the kidneys, and arteries in the legs. Generally, patients who require an angioplasty of the heart have symptoms of a blocked artery of the heart, not enough blood flow to the heart, chest pain, shortness of breath with exertion. Generally as well, these patients have had a treadmill study of some sort of study to determine that portions of the heart aren't receiving enough blood flow. In this situation, the cardiologist would recommend the treatment of angioplasty to the patient. The patient is brought to the hospital. A tube was inserted usually into the right femoral artery, the artery at the hip. This artery leads back up to the heart. A dye is injected in the artery, and it is to determine where the angioplasty needs to be performed. How to take action: If your cardiologist recommends that you need a stent placed or an angioplasty, he has generally based this on your symptoms as well as a noninvasive study such as the treadmill. It is generally a good idea to follow the advice of your cardiologist.