Angioplasty/Balloon Angioplasty Procedure in Brooklyn, New York

An angioplasty is a procedure that’s done to improve blood flow in arteries that are narrowed or blocked. You may be familiar with this term because it’s well known in the context of coronary artery interventions. If an artery becomes blocked due to a plaque build-up, a leg or heart or any other organ may not receive adequate amount of blood supply.

Atherosclerosis is another name for plaque buildup, and this condition can affect blood vessels anywhere in the human body. A peripheral artery disease, atherosclerosis develops when arteries of your lower extremities receive inadequate blood flow. The skilled doctor at the Downtown Vein & Vascular Center in Brooklyn has extensive experience treating vein and artery conditions with procedures that include:

• Balloon angioplasty
• Atherectomy
• Recanalization
• Revascularization

An angioplasty procedure is a minimally invasive procedure. Before the procedure, your care team provides you with a list of steps you may need to undertake in to be prepared for a procedure, such as:

• Not eating or drinking anything for at least eight hours prior to the procedure
• Letting your doctor know about all medications you’re taking, including supplements and over-the-counter medications
• Discontinuing certain medications

During an angiography and angioplasty, you’re given medication to relax, but you’ll remain awake. The duration of the procedure varies based on the number of blockages you have. Some things to expect include:

• Vital signs are monitored during the procedure, such as your blood pressure, heart rate and blood oxygen level.
• The procedure is done through an artery in your arm, groin or foot. The area of arterial access is numbed with a local anesthetic.
• A series of thin catheters and guidewires are inserted into the artery.
• Your Brooklyn doctor uses live x-ray video imaging to navigate catheters and wires through the artery.
• Contrast dye and an intra-arterial or intra-venous ultrasound are used to help the doctor see anatomy of the blockages.
• During the procedure, you should tell your doctor if you experience nausea, sweating, itching, difficulty breathing or heart palpitations.
• You may feel pressure or mild discomfort, but shouldn’t feel pain.

A small balloon is inflated at the site of the blockage, which widens the artery and pushes the blood clot to the sides of the artery, allowing more room for blood to flow. Once the artery has been widened sufficiently, the balloon is deflated, and the catheter is removed.

A stent may or may not be used during your angioplasty procedure. A stent is an expandable metal mesh coil, which may be coated with medication to prevent the formation of blood clots. After the artery has been widened, a stent may be placed in the area to stop the artery from narrowing again.