Coronary Angioplasty is a minor procedure to widen blocked or narrowed arteries, helping to restore normal blood flow to the heart muscle. This procedure is necessary for people whose blockages places them at risk of getting a heart attack or of dying. It may also be required in severe cases where medication is ineffective or as an emergency treatment after a heart attack.
A coronary angioplasty is performed using local anasthetic administered at the puncture site, usually wrist or groin, which means you are awake during the whole process. A flexible catheter (thin tube) is threaded through a small puncture in the wrist or groin, with the guided help of a X-ray screen into the artery. When the catheter is in place, a very thin wire with a stent (wire mesh tube) mounted on an expandable balloon is carefully threaded through the catheter to the blockage site. The balloon is then inflated, causing the stent to push the plague to the sides and stretch the artery open, allowing for smoother blood flow. Once the stent is in place, keeping the artery open, both the balloon and catheter are taken out.
A few stents may be inserted during the same procedure, depending on the severity and areas of blockages. The entire procedure will take about two hours and the patient can usually discharge the next day if there are no complications. There is a need to be on two types of blood-thinning medications after the procedure in preventing blood clots at the site of the stent.
To learn more, please watch the video.
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Dr Pipin Kojodjojo specializes in cardiac electrophysiology and management of heart rhythm disorders in both adolescents and adults.
Experienced in managing patients with atrial fibrillation and unexplained blackouts (syncope).
Dr Chuang Hsuan-Hung is a heart failure intensivist trained in advanced cardiovascular imaging. He specialises in heart failure and heart transplant intensive care.
Experienced in managing genetic heart disease, cardio-oncology and sports cardiology.
Dr Stanley Chia is an interventional cardiologist with a distinguished academic record.
He is skilled and experienced in managing complex cardiovascular disease and difficult coronary interventional procedures like stenting of the left main artery.
Dr Jeremy Chow is an electrophysiologist specialising in the implantation and management of electronic cardiac devices.
Experienced in arrhythmia management, stroke prevention and trained in procedures such as electrophysiology studies and ablations.
Dr Tan Chong Hiok is an interventional cardiolgist trained and specialises in stenting of the left main artery and chronic total occlusion.
He is experienced in managing complex cases in patients who have declined or are unsuitable for bypass surgery.
Dr Goh Ping Ping is an echocardiologist trained in imaging of the heart.
She is a strong advocate of preventive cardiology and awareness for women’s heart health. She manages a broad spectrum of cardiovascular disease including heart attack patients.
Dr Chan Wan Xian is a heart failure intensivist specialised in managing complex heart failure and patients with mechanical hearts.
Trained in cardiac imaging and she is experienced is treating women at risk of heart disease, especially during pregnancy.
Dr Edgar Tay is an interventional cardiologist specialised in structual heart disease, adult congenital and pulmonary hypertension.
Trained in procedures like TAVI, Mitralclip and pulmonary angioplasty for chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension.
Dr Cliff Wong is an echocardiologist trained in imaging of the heart.
He specializes in cardiac imaging (echocardiography and cardiovascular computed tomography). Experienced in managing cardiomyopathy, heart failure, valvular heart diseases and cardio-oncology.
