Balloon angioplasty and vascular stenting are minimally invasive treatments performed to inflate and hold open narrowed blood vessels to improve blood flow.

These procedures are conducted using catheter angiography, a type of x-ray that images blood vessels to determine if they are diseased, narrowed, enlarged or blocked altogether. Through a small nick in the skin, the interventional radiologist passes a catheter through an artery leading to the body area of interest. A small amount of a contrast agent is injected to make the arteries visible on x-ray.

If you have a blockage in the artery, the physician will use x-ray guidance to insert a small balloon attached to a catheter into your artery to the site of the blockage. The balloon is inflated to open the artery up. Sometimes a tiny mesh-like tube, called a stent, is inserted to hold the blood vessel open. Once the artery has been enlarged, the balloon and catheter are removed.

If the blockage in an artery is caused by a blood clot, thrombolytic drugs that dissolve clots are injected through the catheter to eliminate the clot and restore blood flow.

Angioplasty & Stent Placement Guidelines

When Your Procedure Is Scheduled

• Our scheduler will give you a date and time for your procedure at Overlake Hospital Medical Center. You will need to arrive at the hospital two hours before the procedure to allow the admitting and nursing staffs to get you ready.
• Please let the scheduler know if you take Coumadin, Plavix, Insulin or Metformin. You will need to receive specialized instructions.
• Please notify us if you’ve had a previous reaction to contrast dye.
• If you have any questions regarding your procedure, you may call us at 425-688-5507.
• The admitting department will attempt to call you the night before your procedure to confirm your arrival time.
• Please plan to leave any jewelry or valuables at home.
• Make sure to arrange for someone to drive you home after the procedure.

Preparation

• Do not eat or drink for four hours before your exam.
• Please take your normal heart and blood pressure medications with a sip of water.
• You need to be at the hospital’s admitting area two hours before you procedure’s scheduled start time. This is located at the large desk at the hospital’s main entrance (across from Stanza’s Café).
• You will be taken down to your room where you will meet your nurse. You will be asked to change into a patient gown. An IV will be started and blood drawn for lab tests. The nurse will ask you for your medical history. If possible, bring a list of all the medications you take and when you take them.
• The nurse will also ask you about allergies. If you are allergic to radiology/contrast dye please let them know.
• If there is a possibility that you’re pregnant, please let the nurse know. You will be asked to sign a form if you are a female of childbearing age (12-57).
• The nurse or tech will clean and shave an area on both sides of the groin for access to the femoral artery.
• Before the procedure, the interventional nurse will meet with you and your family to review the procedure and answer any questions you might have.

What to Expect During the Procedure

• The procedure takes from 1-3 hours. You will meet the interventional radiologist who will go over the consent form and answer any questions you might still have..
• You will receive sedation medication during the procedure to help you relax.
• During the procedure you might feel warmth, tingling or flushing when you are given the contrast dye. This usually lasts about 10 seconds. During the procedure the nurse will be monitoring your heart, blood pressure and the oxygen level in your blood.
• Once the procedure is over you will be transferred back to your room. You may have a small catheter still in place in the artery in your groin.

What to Expect After the Procedure

• The nurse or tech will remove the small catheter and hold pressure for at least 15 minutes. You will be told to lie flat for up to 6 hours and to keep your leg straight. This is to prevent any bleeding or swelling.
• Your blood pressure, pulse and puncture site will be monitored very frequently by the nurse.
• You will be encouraged to drink a lot of fluids to help wash the contrast out of your system. You will need to continue to drink fluids for the first 24 hours after your procedure, unless your physician has limited your fluid intake.
• You might be kept in the hospital for a 24-hour period for observation. Otherwise you will be discharged in 6-8 hours.
• You will be given written instructions and a phone number to call if you have any questions or concerns.
• One of the interventional nurses will do a follow-up call the next week-day after your discharge. Write down any questions you might have for them.
• To speak to an interventional nurse, please call 425-688-5005. It is best to call between 8AM and 4PM Monday thru Friday. You can leave a message on the voicemail, and a nurse will return your call as soon as possible.
• If you are on Coumadin and have been told not to take it before your procedure, you need to check with your physician, and/or the Anti-Coagulation Clinic for instructions.
• If you are on Metformin/Glucophage, withhold taking it for 48 hours post procedure. Check with the physician who ordered the medication on when to restart it. Additional blood work may be required.
• If you an insulin-dependent diabetic, restart your regular dosing when you get home. Check your sugar regularly and if you have a concern, contact your diabetic doctor.
• You may resume taking all of your normal medications once you are home.