The risk depends on how ill the patient is, but in most tertiary care centers, where the care is expert, these procedures have very little mortality. With respect to open-heart surgery, the survival rate of men and women, when their ages and disease severity are the same, is equal in the best centers. I don't think that people develop clogged arteries quickly, unless they have the onset of something like diabetes. We have found out that coronary artery disease probably begins long before the first clinical symptoms appear, at least in some patients. What's much more likely than sudden deposition of plaque is that a nearly occluded, or blocked, artery suddenly closes off due to plaque hemorrhage and clot formation, producing an unexpected heart attack.
Family history is important.
If they've had a mother, father or sibling who died before age 55 of a heart attack, they are at increased risk. Women who are menopausal may be helped by taking estrogen. In general, patients all want the quick fix.