Angioplasty and stent placement - peripheral arteries
Angioplasty and stent placement - peripheral arteries
Peripheral arteries are treated with percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) or angioplasty. Angioplasties for angioplasty are performed on the iliac, femoral, popliteal, tibial, and peroneal arteries. Angioplasties are also performed for peripheral vascular disease, PVD, and PAD.
An angioplasty is a technique used to unblock blood arteries that are clogged or narrowed that transport blood to your legs. The accumulation of fatty deposits within the arteries might obstruct blood flow.
A stent is a tiny, artery-opening tube made of metal mesh.
Peripheral arteries that are occluded can be opened by angioplasty or stent implantation.
A stent may be necessary to maintain blood flow in the event of a blocked artery in the neck, legs, or heart in order to avert more catastrophic issues. Today, let’s discuss stents. A stent is a small tube that is inserted into an artery, blood vessel, or other duct (such the urine duct) to keep the tubes open. A stent is implanted for life. The majority of stents are composed of plastic or metal mesh. Larger arteries are frequently treated with fabric-based stent grafts. Numerous arterial issues as well as other conditions are treated using stents. Your physician will make a tiny incision in a blood vessel in your groin to insert a thin, flexible catheter.
Description
With angioplasty, clogged arteries are widened using a medical “balloon”. To create space and enhance blood flow, the balloon pushes against the artery’s inner wall. To prevent the artery from narrowing once more, a metal stent is frequently positioned across the arterial wall.
Angioplasty can be used to address a blockage in the following areas:
- Your heart’s major artery, the aorta
- An artery in your pelvis or hip
- The artery in your leg
- The artery located behind your knee
- Your lower leg’s artery
Prior to the process:
- We’ll offer you medication to help you unwind. Although awake, you will feel drowsy.
- In order to prevent a blood clot from forming, you might also be prescribed blood thinners.
- Resting on your back, you will be placed on a cushioned operation table. To make you pain-free, your surgeon will inject numbing medication into the area that will be treated. We refer to this as local anesthesia.
Next, a tiny needle will be inserted by your surgeon into the blood vessel located in your groin. This needle is going to be used to introduce a little, flexible wire.
- Your artery will be visible to your surgeon via real-time x-ray images. You will receive an injection of dye to demonstrate how blood flows through your arteries. The blocked region will be easier to see thanks to the color.
- A tiny tube known as a catheter will be inserted by the surgeon and guided through your artery to the blocked spot.
- A guide wire will then be inserted by your surgeon via the catheter to the obstruction.
- Another catheter with a little balloon on the end will be pushed by the surgeon over the guide wire and into the obstructed location.
- The balloon is then inflated by adding contrast fluid to it. Your heart’s blood flow is restored as a result of opening the clogged vessel.
In the obstructed location, a stent might also be inserted. The balloon catheter is placed concurrently with the stent. When the balloon is inflated, it expands. To maintain the artery open, the stent is left in situ. After that, take out the balloon and all of the cables.
Why the Procedure Is Performed
Peripheral artery blockage can cause leg pain, achiness, or heaviness that begins or worsens with walking.
If you are still able to perform the majority of your daily tasks, you might not require this operation. It’s possible that your doctor will advise you to try medications and other treatments first.
The following justifies this surgery:
- Your symptoms prevent you from performing everyday duties, and no amount of medication will make them go away.
- You have non-healing sores or skin ulcers on your leg.
- Your leg has either gangrene or an infection.
- Your leg hurts even when you’re at rest because of constricted arteries.
You will undergo specific testing to determine the degree of blockage in your blood arteries prior to angioplasty.
Risks
Stent implantation and angioplasty carry the following risks:
- An allergic response to the medication contained in a stent that administers medication to your body
- Allergy to the radioactive dye
- Bleeding or clotting around the catheter’s insertion site
- Clot of blood in the lungs or legs
- A blood vessel’s damage
- Damage to a nerve that could result in leg pain or numbness
- Damage to the groin artery, which may require immediate surgery
- Heart attack
- infection within the surgical wound
- Renal failure (with a heightened risk in individuals with pre-existing renal disorders)
- The stent was misplaced.
- stroke (a uncommon occurrence)
- Not opening the impacted artery
- limb loss
Before the Procedure
In the two weeks preceding surgery:
- Inform your healthcare professional about all of the medications you take, including over-the-counter medications, vitamins, and herbal remedies.
- Inform your healthcare provider of any allergies you may have to seafood, any previous adverse reactions you may have had to iodine or contrast material, and whether you are currently or may become pregnant.
- Inform your healthcare practitioner if you take tadalafil (Cialis), vardenafil (Levitra), or sildenafil (Viagra).
- If you have been consuming large amounts of alcohol (more than one or two drinks per day), let your provider know.
- Two weeks before to surgery, you might need to cease taking any medications that interfere with your blood’s ability to clot. These include aspirin, clopidogrel (Plavix), ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), Naprosyn (Aleve, Naproxen), and other similar medications.
- Find out which medications you should continue taking the day of your procedure.
- Stop smoking if you do. Request assistance from your provider.
- Before your operation, always let your physician know if you have a cold, the flu, a fever, a herpes outbreak, or any other ailment.
The night before surgery, avoid drinking anything after midnight, even water.
The day of your procedure:
- Take the prescribed medications with a tiny sip of water, as advised by your doctor.
- When you should show up at the hospital will be specified.
After the Procedure
A lot of patients can leave the hospital in two days or less. Some might not even need to spend the night. After the treatment, you should be able to walk around in six to eight hours.
Your healthcare provider will go over self-care tips with you.
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Outlook (Prognosis)
For most people, angioplasty results in improved arterial blood flow. The location of your obstruction, the size of your blood vessel, and the degree of blockage in nearby arteries will all affect the outcome.
Should you undergo angioplasty, you might not require open bypass surgery. Your surgeon might need to perform an amputation or open bypass surgery if the technique is ineffective.
