Coronary Artery Angioplasty

Although it has been shown to save lives in an emergency, heart attack, there is no data to support the contention that it will increase your life expectancy when compared with being managed with just medications alone - Alice Park

Coronary Artery Angioplasty
Coronary Artery Angioplasty

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Angioplasty: Ending Inappropriate Use

Angioplasty and stenting continue to be used in stable coronary artery disease (i.e. not in the middle of a heart attack), even though large randomized controlled trials have shown that they add no significant survival benefit. Angioplasty and stenting are exceedingly expensive and carry risks (including heart attack and stroke) to the patient.

The COURAGE study reported in 2007 that angioplasty and inserting stents, or PCI (percutaneous coronary intervention), provided temporary relief from angina, but did not result in fewer deaths, myocardial infarction or cardiovascular events than medication and lifestyle changes. The OAT clinical study indicated that for high-risk patients with…

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 Angioplasty: Ending Inappropriate Use

Angioplasty and stenting continue to be used in stable coronary artery disease (i.e. not in the middle of a heart attack), even though large randomized controlled trials have shown that they add no significant survival benefit. Angioplasty and stenting are exceedingly expensive and carry risks (including heart attack and stroke) to the patient.

Angioplasty.org

Welcome to the Web's most extensive independent source of information on angioplasty for patients and professionals -- now celebrating our 10th year online. Our mission: provide substantive support; present the latest news on treatments and technologies; be a forum for discussion of controversial issues in medical innovation.

National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute

Atherosclerosis is a condition in which a material called plaque (plak) builds up on the inner walls of the arteries. This can happen in any artery, including the coronary arteries, which carry oxygen-rich blood to your heart. When atherosclerosis affects the coronary arteries, the condition is called coronary artery disease (CAD).

HeartPoint.com

Balloon angioplasty (percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty or PTCA) is widely used for treatment of the blockages of coronary artery disease. This procedure is relatively simple, with only a small incision in the groin needed to introduce the equipment. As shown above, the balloon is inflated to compress the plaque and enlarge the artery, and provide an adequate area for blood to flow through.

HeartSite.com

The heart is supplied by three major coronary arteries and their branches. Atherosclerosis produces discrete (confined) or scattered areas of blockage within a coronary artery. When the blockages are large enough, they reduce blood supply to heart muscle and produce angina. The tests used to make the diagnosis of coronary artery disease and its medical treatment have been discussed elsewhere. Some patients with coronary artery disease may require surgery.

Mayo Clinic

Percutaneous coronary intervention, also known as coronary angioplasty, opens narrowed coronary arteries.

MedicineNet

PTCA is a nonsurgical procedure that relieves narrowing and obstruction of the arteries to the muscle of the heart (coronary arteries). This allows more blood and oxygen to be delivered to the heart muscle.

NHS

Coronary angioplasty is sometimes known as percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA). The combination of coronary angioplasty with stenting is usually referred to as percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

RadiologyInfo.org

Angioplasty with vascular stenting is just one way to treat narrowed or blocked arteries. Medications and exercise are often the first step in treating atherosclerosis. Regardless of which artery is blocked, angioplasty does not reverse or cure the underlying disease of atherosclerosis.

Texas Heart institute

Coronary artery disease (CAD) affects almost 1.3 million Americans, making it the most common form of heart disease. CAD most often results from a condition known as atherosclerosis, which happens when a waxy substance forms inside the arteries that supply blood to your heart.

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