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Angioplasty and stent placement - heart - Risks

Alternative Names

Drug-eluting stents; PCI; Percutaneous coronary intervention; Balloon angioplasty; Coronary angioplasty; Coronary artery angioplasty; Cardiac angioplasty; PTCA; Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty; Heart artery dilatation

Risks:

Angioplasty is generally safe, but ask your doctor about the possible complications. Risks of angioplasty and stent placement are:

Allergic reaction to the x-ray dye
Bleeding or clotting in the area where the catheter was inserted
Damage to a heart valve or blood vessel
Heart attack
Kidney failure (higher risk in people who already have kidney problems)
Irregular heart beats (arrhythmias)
Stroke (this is rare)
Allergic reaction to the stent material
Allergic reaction to the drug used in a drug-eluting stent
Blood clot
Clogging of the inside of the stent (in-stent restenosis)

Cardiac catheterization

Atherosclerosis

Stable angina

Cholesterol producers

Coronary artery balloon angioplasty - series

Reviewed last on: 12/13/2008
Larry A. Weinrauch MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Cardiovascular Disease and Clinical Outcomes Research, Watertown, MA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

Boden WE, O'rourke RA, Teo KK, et al. Optimal Medical Therapy with or without PCI for Stable Coronary Disease. N Engl J Med. 2007 Mar 26; [Epub ahead of print].

Winslow RD, Sharma SK, Kim MC. Restenosis and drug-eluting stents. Mt Sinai J Med. 2005 Mar;72(2):81-9.

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