Angioplasty Health Video

Video Transcript

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.