PCI treatment for patients with stable angina

Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is one of the methods used to treat stable angina. In this article, a consultant cardiologist explains the parameters of stable angina, and how PCI offers long-term benefits.

What is angina?

Angina is temporary chest pain experienced during times of excitement, stress, physical activity, and cold weather. It is likely indicative of underlying heart conditions. Angina pain occurs typically because of coronary artery disease or other conditions where blood flow to the heart is constricted – these can be caused by the arteries becoming blocked or narrowed from a buildup of fatty deposits called plaque in what is called atherosclerosis. When blood, which carries oxygen, fails to reach the heart at an adequate rate, then the heart may strain to pick up the slack, causing the pain.

Stable angina is the type of angina that reoccurs regularly, and can be predicted to occur during exertion, lasting for no more than 10 minutes at a time and will fade within minutes of cessation of activity.

How is stable angina diagnosed?

Stable angina can be diagnosed with tests such as electrocardiograms, which measure the heart’s electrical activities and irregular behaviour, stress tests, where patients exercise while wearing a heart monitor, or a coronary angiography, where a medical dye is injected into the heart’s arteries via catheters, and X-ray scans show the movement of the blood coloured by the dye.

For angina, conservative treatments may be considered and tried before any surgical procedures. When patients have not been responding well to medicine and therapies, a PCI may be recommended.

What is a percutaneous coronary intervention and how is it used to treat stable angia?

A percutaneous coronary intervention, also known as coronary angioplasty, is a procedure that widens the blocked or narrow coronary arteries to increase the blood flow. It is minimally invasive and one of the most common coronary procedures. During a PCI, the surgeon feeds a catheter, which is a thin flexible tube, through the blood vessels via an insertion point in the groin or the wrist, guided by X-ray imaging. When the catheter is in the location of the blockage, a thin wire is passed through the catheter with a balloon around by a wire mesh, called a stent. The balloon is then inflated and the wire mesh expands up against the wall of the artery, moving aside the blockage and opening up space in the artery, thus allowing the blood to flow again.

The procedure is conducted under a local anaesthetic and can take around 30 minutes to a couple of hours to complete. Typically, patients can go home within the day of the procedure, and should avoid strenuous activities or excessive excitement and stress for at least a week, or when advised by their doctor.

If you are having heart issues, you can consult with a specialist on Top Doctors.