The patient is mildly sedated during angioplasty and most people report feeling only minor discomfort. A dye is injected into the patient's arteries which allows the doctors to monitor the patient's blood flow and determine the site of blockage. The tube with the balloon, known as a catheter, is inserted at the site of an artery in the patient's groin area. The catheter is moved along the artery until it reaches the blockage. The balloon is then inflated for a period of a few seconds to a few minutes, then deflated.
Blood flow is monitored to insure adequate reperfusion or restoration of blood flow.
Sometimes the balloon will to be reinflated at the same site or at another site. Sometimes a stent is placed at the site of the balloon. A stent is a rigid tube which prevents the vessel from collapsing or a blood clot from forming at the site of the blockage. If angioplasty is unsuccessful, the position of the block is difficult to access by angioplasty, or you have blockages in two or more major vessels, the doctors may decide to treat you with bypass surgery. In this procedure, a piece of vein is taken from the patient's leg or an artery from the patient's chest is used to enable blood to go around, or bypass, the blockage.