Angioplasty and Stenting

A narrowed coronary artery is opened with a small balloon and held open with a stent — a metal mesh tube that stays permanently. It treats the blockage without opening the chest.

What the procedure involves

Done under local anaesthetic with sedation, usually through the wrist rather than the groin, and taking thirty to ninety minutes. You are awake throughout. Most modern stents are drug-eluting, which lowers the chance of the artery narrowing again.

Recovery and what to expect

Often an overnight stay, sometimes two nights. Wrist access means you can usually sit up and eat within an hour or two. Dual antiplatelet medication — normally aspirin plus one other — is essential for six to twelve months afterwards, and stopping it early carries a real risk of the stent clotting.

Before you agree to anything

Ask how many stents are planned, and whether bypass surgery would suit your pattern of disease better. For some patterns, particularly left main or diffuse three-vessel disease, surgery has stronger long-term evidence.

What we arrange around it

A short trip, usually about a week including the review. You must be able to obtain your antiplatelet medication at home before you leave; we confirm that with you rather than assume it.