Q. What is Coronary Angiography?
A. Coronary Angiography is the study of coronary arteries by injecting them with dye. It is done as an outpatient procedure, unless Angioplasty is done simultaneously. A catheter is introduced through a tiny needle hole in your hand or leg arteries (depending on the preference of the operator), engaged in the coronary arteries, radiopaque dye is injected, and moving X Ray pictures are taken from various angles. Thus, blockages in the coronary tree are identified.
Q, Is it painful?
A. Not at all. The pain generally is merely of a single pin prick.
Q. How long does it take?
A. Although normally, the procedure hardly takes more than a few minutes, the preparation:the shaving, the positioning of the patient, the disinfection of parts normally take 45 minutes to an hour.
Q. How long does it take?
A. Although normally, the procedure hardly takes more than a few minutes, the preparation:the shaving, the positioning of the patient, the disinfection of parts normally take 45 minutes to an hour.
Q. Is fasting necessary?
A. Angiography needs 3-4 hours of fasting.
Q. What should I do after Angiography?
A. Your Cardiologist will be discussing the result of the angiogram immediately with you. If immediate Angioplasty is not on cards, you can go home the same day( If your Mediclaim allows). You can eat a light snackafter 30 minutes. Drink plenty of water in the first 24 hours, to flush out all the dye(Unless your doctor advices otherwise)
Q. What is Coronary Angioplasty?
A. If the doctor finds a blockage on the coronary angiography, he may advice you coronary angioplasty. The doctor will then pass a very thin (0.0014")wire inside the coronaries, and dilate the artery with a PTCA ballon catheter. Then, a stent, which is a coiled metal tube of the same size as your artery would be positioned across the block and deployed.
Q. Is Coronary Angioplasty a permanent solution?
A. With the latest generation of stents, the re-blockage rates for a well done angioplasty are between 1-5%. This is comparable to bypass surgery.
For most cases, even involving multiple and complex blocks, the results of Coronary Angioplasty and Stenting is as good as bypass surgery.
