Angioplasty and stent placement

Angioplasty, also called percutaneous coronary intervention, increases blood flow through a blocked artery. It reduces angina.

During an angioplasty, a doctor inserts a thin, flexible tube called a catheter into a blood vessel, usually in the groin or wrist. The tube is guided to the blocked heart artery. A tiny balloon is on the end of the tube. The doctor inflates the balloon to widen the artery. A small metal mesh tube called a stent is usually placed to keep the artery open.

This treatment can take 30 minutes to several hours. You usually stay in the hospital at least overnight. Your healthcare team tells you when you can return to your daily activities.

Sometimes the blockage returns after an angioplasty. Using a stent coated with medicine can help prevent this.

If unstable angina or stable angina affects some of the main heart arteries and does not get better with stenting and other treatments, heart bypass surgery may be needed. Heart bypass surgery is open-heart surgery. It's also called coronary artery bypass grafting or CABG — pronounced "cabbage."