Cases of heart disease are on the rise, owing to widespread lifestyle factors such as poor diet, lack of regular exercise, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, becoming overweight, and rising levels of stress, all of which lead to risk factors for heart disease such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes.
All of these are major contributors to heart disease; additionally, aging populations and limited access to preventive healthcare can play a role. Heart attack is also very common these days, caused by blocked arteries. To cure this, percutaneous coronary intervention is performed.
Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) relieves coronary artery disease symptoms (narrowing of the blood channels that deliver oxygen to the heart muscle). A PCI is a treatment used to enlarge or unblock an artery with a tiny inflatable balloon. In this article, we will learn more about percutaneous coronary intervention.
What is Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI)?
Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) meaning is that it is a treatment used to treat stenotic (narrowed) or obstructed coronary arteries in the heart, which can lead to angina or heart attacks. It is also known as angioplasty.
This can be caused by cholesterol accumulation and is strongly linked to risk factors like smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes, excessive cholesterol, and a family history of coronary artery disease.
Types Of Percutaneous Coronary Intervention
However, there are different types of percutaneous coronary intervention. These are as follows
Balloon Angioplasty
It involves inflating a balloon to push the plaque out of the path. This is less risky and costly when compared to any other heart surgery.
Angioplasty With Stent
Once the balloon is removed, a stent is inserted in the artery to keep it open. It is sometimes used as an alternative to open-heart surgery based on the patient’s symptoms.
Laser Angioplasty
uses a laser to vaporize deposited cholesterol. This procedure gives less pain, quick recovery, and fewer scars compared to any other surgery. The success rate is also high.
Rotational Atherectomy
involves drilling out calcium deposits with a catheter-based instrument. It is usually done when the patient has complex artery blockage. In some cases, angioplasty may be conducted post-rotational atherectomy.
Impella-supported PCI
A tiny pump is put into the heart to assist it in pumping blood. It is used during emergencies when any patient is suffering from severe coronary blockages.
Intravascular Ultrasonography (IVUS)
A catheter equipped with a transducer emits sound waves to produce images of the blood vessel wall. It usually helps the surgeons to know where the stent or balloon needs to be fixed and also the artery that is blocked.
Procedure of Percutaneous Coronary Intervention
Before the Procedure
Before the procedure, the healthcare physician will offer the patient precise advice on how to prepare for a PCI. Usually, there needs to be a general diagnosis done to check the condition. In a non-emergency circumstance, a patient should avoid eating or drinking for many hours before surgery.
If the patient is using blood thinners (anticoagulants), they may need to discontinue them temporarily. These medications may raise a patient’s risk of bleeding during surgery. Make sure that the surgeon is aware of it.
During the Procedure
A percutaneous coronary intervention typically takes 30 minutes to two hours. The cardiologist will apply antiseptic to the place where the sheath (a small plastic tube) will be inserted, and the majority of the body will be covered with a sterile covering.
When the cardiologist is satisfied that the sheath is properly positioned, they will put a catheter (a long, narrow plastic tube) through the sheath and into the patient’s artery. The cardiologist will inject dye into the catheter to obtain X-rays to determine where the coronary arteries have narrowed.
After that, the cardiologist will insert a thin wire down the catheter and into the constricted section of the artery. They will guide a small tube with an inflating balloon at the end over the wire and across the constricted section of the artery. They’ll inflate the balloon to expand the arteries.
In most situations, they will additionally extend a stent within the artery to keep it open. The cardiologist may also remove the wire, balloon, or catheter. They will remove the sheath once the patient’s blood has thickened.
After the Procedure
After the percutaneous coronary intervention procedure, the patient should be able to return home the same day or the day following. Suggest to the patient to not take a hot bath for two to three days. It is critical for the patient to not engage in hard exercise for approximately a week. If the patient had a stent inserted, they would be taking additional blood thinners such as clopidogrel or ticagrelor, which increases the risk of bleeding.
Suggesting to the patients that regular exercise will benefit their long-term health. Before beginning to exercise, patients must consult with a healthcare provider or general practitioner. If patients have high blood pressure or cholesterol, they will most likely need to continue taking the medications they were taking before the operation.
Who Should Consider This Treatment?
As per the research by the medical news, 27% of people between the ages of 50-59 are facing heart issues. This is where anyone must not ignore any unusual signs.
Sometimes a patient’s arteries may require a PCI operation to remove cholesterol build-ups, which are thick, fatty deposits. Atherosclerosis is the accumulation of plaque and hardening of the arteries. Atherosclerosis raises the patient’s risk of cardiovascular disease and reduces blood flow in the heart.
As the heart isn’t pumping blood efficiently, the patient may get chest pain (angina). This process immediately opens blood arteries, which can assist in reducing heart damage to patients. If any patient is facing silent heart attack symptoms, they must contact a doctor.
Complications of Percutaneous Coronary Intervention
Possible complications include bruising, infection, bleeding, false aneurysms or arteriovenous fistulas, heart rhythm changes, kidney damage, allergic reactions, radiation exposure, blood clots, stent loss, blood leaking into the sac surrounding the heart, drop in blood pressure, heart attack, radial artery spasm, stroke, and serious complications.
Some very late complications can be stent restenosis, where the artery narrows again, or stent thrombosis, where a blood clot forms in the stent. This can happen after a few days of the procedure or maybe years after the procedure.
Conclusion
Percutaneous coronary intervention is a heart procedure that opens clogged blood arteries. Patients may require this procedure to eliminate plaque buildup in their arteries. PCIs are also used by healthcare personnel to treat heart attacks in an emergency. These procedures are considered minimally invasive therapies. They frequently have faster recovery times and fewer complications than heart surgery. After this process, patients should maintain a healthy lifestyle to reduce the likelihood that their arteries will close again.
Experienced doctors at the Cardiology and Vascular Care Center are experienced and know all about it. Please take note that the information in this blog is generalized. Procedures may vary based on individual symptoms. If anyone is facing any unusual symptoms, contact a doctor immediately.
FAQs
What Is The Recovery Time Following PCI?
Typically, patients can resume normal activities within a week of the procedure. If a patient’s profession includes physical activity or heavy lifting, they may have to wait longer before returning to work.
What Happens After The PCI?
Typically, patients will spend several hours in a recovery area after the procedure. They may get bruises or discomfort when the doctor inserts the catheter. Patients also might go home that day or stay in the hospital overnight.
Are There Any Alternatives to PCI?
Some persons may be able to have a coronary bypass operation. Coronary artery disease can be treated with medicine to alleviate symptoms and prevent the illness from worsening.
What Happens If I Decide Not To Have The Procedure?
Without a PCI, a patient’s chest pain may worsen. If they have recently had a heart attack or unstable chest pain (acute coronary syndrome), they may be at a higher risk of having another heart attack if they do not undergo this procedure.