• Cardiovascular Medicine Consultation
• Preventive Care
• Diagnostic Testing
• Cardiac and Vascular Interventions
  • Coronary Angioplasty and Stent Placement
  • Peripheral Vascular Angiography and Stent Placement
  • Pacemaker Implantation
  • Internal Cardiac Defibrillator Implantation
  • Cardioversion

Coronary Angioplasty and Stent Placement

Angioplasty and stent placement are techniques for re-opening blocked or narrowed coronary arteries. The procedures can be performed to relieve angina, abort a heart attack, or to improve the function of the heart in patients with heart failure. Most procedures only require one overnight stay in the hospital. Angioplasty is the use of a tiny balloon to compress plaque to the sides of an artery and to widen the inside of the artery (the lumen), increasing blood flow. Once the artery is opened by angioplasty, a small, metal mesh tube called a stent is used to prop the artery open.