Coronary Intervention
What is PCI?
Percutaneous coronary intervention is a non-surgical method used to open narrowed arteries that supply your heart muscle with blood (coronary arteries). Percutaneous means “through unbroken skin.”
Percutaneous coronary intervention is performed by inserting a catheter through the skin in the groin or arm into an artery. This procedure is also known as angioplasty, balloon angioplasty, and coronary artery balloon dilation.
How is the PCI procedure done?
Special tubing with an attached deflated balloon is threaded up to the coronary arteries. The balloon is inflated to widen blocked areas where blood flow to the heart muscle has been reduced or cut off. Often, this procedure is combined with implantation of a stent to help prop the artery open and decrease the chance of another blockage.
This procedure lasts from 30 minutes to several hours. It can require an overnight hospital stay.
What are the benefits from PCI?
- Greatly increased blood flow through the blocked artery
- Decreased chest pain (angina)
- Increased ability for physical activity
- Reduced risk of a heart attack
- Can also be used to open neck and brain arteries to help prevent stroke
