Invasive Non-Surgical Treatments to Open Blocked Arteries

Board-certified cardiologists at The Heart Hospital use therapeutic procedures such as balloon angioplasty and stenting in the cardiac catheterization laboratories to open blocked arteries. Our specialists are able to perform these non-surgical procedures to compress blockages and open the artery for improved blood flow to the heart. 

Angioplasty Used to Open Narrowed Arteries

Angioplasty is a technique used to dilate, or widen, narrowed arteries. A catheter with a deflated balloon on its tip is passed into the narrowed part of the artery. In balloon angioplasty, a catheter is inserted into an artery. When in place, a tiny balloon at the tip of the catheter is inflated, opening the blockage and restoring blood flow.

Stenting Keeps Coronary Arteries Expanded

A coronary stent keeps coronary arteries more fully expanded, usually following angioplasty. Since the stent will be placed inside an artery, the device comes in various sizes to match the size of the artery. After angioplasty, when the artery is widened, the stent catheter is threaded into the artery and placed around a deflated balloon. When this is correctly positioned in the coronary artery, the balloon is inflated, expanding the stent against the walls of the coronary artery. The balloon catheter is removed, leaving the stent in place to hold the coronary artery open.

Contact Us

For more information about The Heart Hospital, please call 912-819-4100 and ask for The Heart Hospital.