here are the main 4 steps during the angioplasty procedure:
1. Preparation
A coronary angiogram usually takes about 30 minutes. You'll be lying under an X-ray camera in a cath lab while your cardiologist monitors the procedure on a television screen.
You'll then receive a local anaesthetic injection into either your arm or groin (depending on where the catheter will be inserted).
2. The catheter is inserted into in the narrowed part of your heart artery
When this area is numb, a narrow tube (sheath) is inserted into the artery.
A thin, flexible plastic tube called a catheter will be threaded through the sheath. The catheter is guided through the artery until it reaches the point of blockage.
3. The balloon is inflated and the stent expands, pushing the plaque back against the artery wall
4. The balloon is then deflated and removed, leaving the stent propping open the artery
The sheath in your arm or groin will be taken out at the end of the procedure. Pressure will then be applied to the insertion site for up to 20 minutes to stop any bleeding.
