Discharge Instructions for Coronary Angioplasty and Stenting

During your angioplasty, a doctor inserts a thin tube called a catheter into a blood vessel in your groin or wrist. The catheter is pushed through your blood vessel to a blocked area in one of your heart's arteries. The doctor inflates a tiny balloon at the tip of the catheter and stretches the blocked vessel so blood can flow freely. The balloon is then deflated and removed with the catheter. The doctor may also insert a metal mesh tube called a stent in the blocked vessel. The stent helps the vessel stay open.