The Angiography

Patient are often scared that it is an invasive procedure but let me assure you, that it is nothing more than specialized X-ray. It takes 3-5 minutes to perform the whole procedure. Basically we insert Dye to specify the blood supplying Vessel of the heart. This is called Angiography. (Angio means blood vessel and graphy is to take picture)

If you use a similar technique to clean up a blockage in the arteries it is called Angioplasty. (Angio means blood vessel and plasty is to repair)

The other Interventional procedure done are

Diagonistic Procedures:

1) Electro Physiological Procedures

2) Pacemaker Implantation

Therapeutic Procedures:

1) Ballon Mitral Valvotomy or PTMC (Percutaneous Trans Mitral Commissurotomy)

2) PVBD (Pulmonary Valve Ballon Dilatation)

3) Device Closure of ASD and PDA

4) All sorts of diagonistic Cardic

Future Programmes

1) Stem Cell Infusion

2) CRT (Cardiac Resyncronisation Therapy)

I offer 24 Hrs primary angioplasty procedures.

Restenosis and Drug Eluting Techniques

Commonly asked questions

What is risk in doing the procedures?

Less than 1/1000

What is Restenosis?

Following Angioplasty there is response to local trauma leading to cellurlar proliferation. It leads to reocculusion of Coronary Arteries. 3 to 5 out of 100 need repeat procedures.

When does Restenosis occur? How to avoid it?

Restenosis occurs within six months of Angioplasty otherwise it never happens, one can use drug eluting stents to avoid it.

Which is better CABG (Coronary Artery Bypass Craft) or PTCA (Percutaneous Transluminal Coronory Angioplasty)?

If there is any blockage in Cornory Artery (Arteries) which can be very easily opened with the help of stent and balloon. Such patients are adviced to go for PTCA but if the Blockage are complex in nature and PTCA is not possible then one should go for CABG.

Coronary Angioplasty PTCA or PCI

Coronary angioplasty, sometimes called PTCA or PCI , is a catheter-based procedure performed by an interventional cardiologist in order to open up a blocked coronary artery and restore blood flow to the heart muscle. Angioplasty now is used as an alternative treatment to coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) well more than half the time. It is less invasive, less expensive, and faster to perform, with the patient usually returning home the next day. In most cases, following balloon angioplasty, a stent will also be placed to keep the artery open. Angioplasty is performed on an elective basis to treat coronary artery disease, but is also performed on an emergency basis to treat a heart attack.

Tests and Diagnosis
In a non-emergency situation, the patient typically has sought medical attention for symptoms such as angina, a medical history is taken, assessment of risk factors is made, and a number of non-invasive tests are performed.If tests indicate a high likelihood of obstructive coronary disease, then a cardiac catheterization is scheduled. The patient should inform the doctor or nurse of any known allergies to the dye used in this procedure.

The Catheterization Lab
The patient is given some standard tests and may talk to a nurse or cardiologist about the procedure and what to expect. The patient then is put on a gurney, brought to the area outside of the catheterization laboratory - a special room that is outfitted with high-resolution fluoroscopic (X-ray) equipment. The patient usually stays in an anteroom where some additional prepping is done. The patient's relatives or support people can usually stay in a waiting room near the cath lab. When it is time for the procedure, the patient is brought into the cath lab itself and transferred to the special table that is part of the fluoroscopy system.
In the cath lab there is a team of medical personnel, there to assist the cardiologist and to make sure the patient is comfortable. During the procedure, which is a kind of "photo session", the patient remains awake and conscious, in order to respond to various instructions from the cardiologist ("take a deep breath", "hold your breath", "cough", etc.). A nurse is available to administer light sedation and pain relief intravenously, as needed, so the patient should communicate his or her needs to the nurse. Should the patient experience discomfort or anxiety, he or she can let the medical staff know.

The Angioplasty
The cardiologist makes some quick equipment changes and threads a thin wire across the area of the blockage. A "rail" or track into the coronary artery has now been established and any number of therapeutic devices can be passed safely and quickly over the wire and positioned precisely at the obstruction. The initial device is usually a tiny balloon which is inflated one or more times. As the blockage is opened, blood flow in the artery is stopped for very brief periods, during which the patient may experience some chest pain. This is normal. When the inflations are done, the balloon is withdrawn.