Angioplasty: Information for Everyone

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Angioplasty procedure is a less known topic to the global population. Unless until a quintessential need for such a medical procedure knocks one’s door—people willingly loves to stay far away from learning on the various medical topics. Just because of lack of medical knowledge at their end, people easily give in to the pressure often exerted by the cardiologists.

Cardiologists opine that all heart attack patients need not to undergo an angioplasty procedure. If the ECG report indicates ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction (MI) (i.e., one or more arteries are 100% blocked), then an angioplasty procedure must be performed within the first six hour after receiving a heart attack. In case of non-ST Elevation MI (i.e., when one or more arteries are less than 90% blocked), the need for an angioplasty procedure may be evaluated after 24 hours. In ST Elevation, the blocked artery becomes ineffective. It cannot transport blood to the heart any more—in such a crucial situation it becomes necessary to clear the artery by performing an angioplasty procedure.

A primary angioplasty is of no use, if it is done after 12 hours on the ST Elevation MI patients. The part of the heart, where blood was supplying by the blocked artery, will be dead because of this prolonged time gap. In such a situation, cardiologists are unable to revive it by opening up the artery---hence, there is no point in performing an angioplasty procedure.

Unfortunately, general people remain unaware of this basic difference. As a result, in the critical hours, families of the MI patients become quick enough in giving their consent for an angioplasty procedure on their beloved ones. For non-ST Elevation heart attack patients, doctors say, “Certain medical tests are available to evaluate the need for an angioplasty procedure. The exact location of the block inside the artery, the severity of the blockage, and the type of a diseased artery are some of the crucial factors that have to be taken into considerations”.

If a block is detected toward the end of the artery, then angioplasty is the only solution. This is because; such a blocked condition allows the artery to supply a very meager amount of blood to other areas in the heart.  Cardiologists don't usually touch an artery if the severity of the block is less than 70%. It is important to evaluate an MI patient in totality. In a heart attack, patient with underlying medical complications, sometimes an angioplasty procedure becomes inevitable.  The cardiologists evaluate patients in totality. If there is 60% blockage towards the beginning of one of the main arteries, then opening it up with the use of angioplasty stents is an easy option. Before conducting an angioplasty procedure a patient's age is also plays a vital role. Advanced age triggers higher risks and negatively contributes to the success rate of an angioplasty procedure.

According to the experts, in the recent years, people with stable angina's are also undergoing angioplasties. With various private and public sector organizations including angioplasty procedure on their employee medical benefits lists---several instances of misuse of this procedure has been noticed by the authorities. Minor abnormalities in treadmill tests are highlighted and individuals are advised for angioplasty procedure. Since the employees need not to bear their angioplasty procedure expenses from their pockets, they are smart enough in giving consent for such a medical procedure. A recent large-scale trial (the Courage Trial) in the USA revealed, medical therapy is as good as a bypass or interventional procedure in stable angina patients.

Heart patients with stable angina should first be given medical therapy. If the angioplasty complication persists, then they should be considered for an angioplasty procedure. Performing an angioplasty procedure on stable angina patients doesn't rule out the risk of heart attack in the future years. But the number of angioplasty procedures in the global healthcare industry is increasing in every year. The angioplasty stents market (in the world market) registered a growth of 22-25% every year. Reports from the angioplasty stents manufacturing companies reveals that a 40% increment has been witnessed in the demand for angioplasty stents when drug eluting angioplasty stents were introduced in 2003. Dean has also gone up because of new Cath Labs are opening up in small cities. This particular thing is worrying the honest and experienced cardiologists, because due to demand pool, many inexperienced doctors have taken up the job of cardiology surgeons just to make fast bucks.

Angioplasty is a very safe procedure, but in the past few years Cath Labs have mushroomed up all over the world. There is a need to keep a check on the number of these fast growing Cath Labs. Again, there should be adequate arrangements at a Cath Lab to deal with the sudden medical conditions may arise while an angioplasty procedure is underway.

All the Cath Labs and their medical infrastructures must be stringently checked by the appropriate administrative authorities. The decision to perform an angioplasty procedure should never be taken by a cardiologist, alone. A team of doctors should examine a patient’s medical condition—then a joint decision will be taken. Every effort should be made to ensure that an angioplasty procedure would be performed only when a patient truly in need of it. At least for the patient’s safety, there must be some measures to check the process of rapid commercialization of angioplasty procedures being conducted by inexperienced doctors and the Cath Labs.

However, among the heart attack patients of young age, angioplasty is showing better results. It is important to open a blocked artery in young patients as they have a long life ahead and the chances of suffering another heart attack is quite higher.

What's a Better Option---Angioplasty or Bypass?

Angioplasty Cost: An Indian Perspective

If you are looking for the most updated information regarding the cost of angioplasty surgery, it would be wise to take a look around the healthcare facilities offering ‘within your budget’ services to every kind of angioplasty surgeries. In such a way, you must learn about many hospitals and cath labs are ready to undertake your angioplasty surgery procedure in an affordable budget. The cost scenario related to treatment of heart--especially about angioplasty procedure has undergone a drastic change. Five years before, cost for an angioplasty procedure was very almost exorbitant. Only the reputed hospitals used to handle the cases of heart-surgery and they used to appoint the the best cardiac surgeons to get the jobs done. But, in the recent time, massive changes has been experienced in the field of cardiac treatment including bypass heart surgery, coronary surgery, and stent angioplasty.

Cost of angioplasty surgery and the medical devices has dwindled down to the most affordable levels. In India cost of coronary angioplasty ranges more or less Rs. 1 Lakh. This amount includes the expenses of staying in the hospital for 2-3 days and the other expenses associated with stent angioplasty surgery of a heart-attack patient.

One of the major reasons behind this cost reduction is the growing competition among the manufacturers of the angioplasty surgery devices (general and drug eluting stent devices), health care professionals, and the mushrooming up cath labs across the cities. Report says, in the forthcoming months the cost of angioplasty may further experience a cost slash down by 30% to 40%. This may happen as a number of healthcare facilities are operating with the vision of revenue maximization through attracting more and more patient’s considerably low cost stent angioplasty and coronary angioplasty surgeries. Another influencing factor is the cath labs which are mushrooming up in every city. The cath labs offer low-cost angioplasty surgeries which are mostly performed by the inexperienced doctors. The glittering ad about low cost and effective angioplasty procedure has been the reason behind attracting a huge pool of heart patients to the cath labs.

An angioplasty procedure cost, especially in India is experiencing a downturn. The cost of angioplasty procedure with the help of bare metal stent has come down from Rs 67,000 to Rs 35,000-Rs 50,000. Angioplasty surgery with the help of medicated Drug Eluting Stents (DES) now costs at Rs 1,25,000-Rs 60,000 earlier which was Rs 1,38,000. More interestingly, the cost of balloon angioplasty reduced to Rs 12,000- Rs 14,000 from Rs 20,000-24,000. Now, catheters are available between Rs 4,000 - Rs 4,500 which was Rs 6,000--Rs 7,000 earlier. The angioplasty wires are now as cheap as Rs. 3000 which were sold at Rs 6,000-Rs 7,000 earlier.

Please review the reducing costs of angioplasty surgery and the surgery devices; you will notice couple of interesting developments. US-based Johnson & Johnson (J&J) the pioneer manufacturer of ‘Cypher’, has reduced the price of this device from Rs 1,37,200 to Rs 1,25,000 earlier. A spokesperson from this organization sates “We are the pioneer, who had launched the product after years of R& D and hence the initial price was kept high. We have reduced the price now considering the high volume of angioplasty being conducted globally”.

Another renowned surgical devices manufacturing brand from Germany, ‘Vasucular Concepts’, which first launched its bare metal stents at Rs 35,000, now reduced it price to Rs 10,000. Vascular Concepts is evaluating the price for another important and widely used angioplasty surgery device called ‘DES’. Currently, a DES can be purchased at Rs 75,000. Vasucular Concepts is considering distributing DES in the world market at a low price. A company spokesperson added, “It’s the economics which has led us to reduce the cost of bare metal stents. We have the potential to reduce the price of DES also within a couple of years from Rs 75,000 to Rs 55,000 - Rs 60,000”.

Angioplasty Stent

Angioplasty stent is a very small mesh tube similar to a tiny spring. It’s an ideal devise in facilitating the emergency heart-related ailments like heart attacks. In 1977, the method of stent-based angioplasty procedure was first introduced. A stent is inserted in the gradually shrinking channel of the artery to make it free from the plaque which resists the normal flow of blood through the affected artery. Since then, rapid improvement has been experienced in the angioplasty stent manufacturing industry. At present, different varieties of angioplasty stents are in use in the surgery procedures. Some stents are coated with medicines which protects the affected artery from further blockage of plaques. Angioplasty stents are widely used in operating the heart-attack patients; here the only exception comes when the artery channel is too small for inserting an angioplasty stent in it.
Angioplasty surgery with a stent helps avoiding the greater risk factors associated with the other traditional method of heart surgery as bypass heart surgery. This procedure is less complex in nature, and less time consuming, moreover, in the stent surgeries wastage of blood remains at a minimal level which greatly helps a patients in recovering fast. Stent angioplasty helps a heart-attack patient in relieving chest pain experienced by reduced blood flow in the heart. It protects the heart muscles by keeping the damage level at a minimal at the minimum. The damage causes when constant supply of blood is cut off to a particular area of the heart.
Angioplasty procedure with stents has been observed as the most beneficial method to the heart patients. It has been found as the most effective device for the following reasons:
• While undergone a stent based angioplasty procedure, 20 out of 100 patients the artery may again get blocked in next 6 months.
• When a stent is not used, in 40 out of 100 patients the artery may again get blocked in next 6 months.
• So far, a stent has been the best among the artery plaque remover devised as the other devises cut and injure the inner wall of the arteries while removing the deposited plaques.
Only in the United States, more than 1 million people undergo angioplasty procedure. In most cases angioplasty stent is used. As people are getting educated with the updated medical information, they too prefer the stent-based angioplasty surgeries. Here the question is: Who does the best in this domain? The answers are:
• The cardiac surgeons who has performed more than 75 angioplasty surgeries in a year.
• Those hospitals/healthcare facilities which has handled more than 400 successful angioplasty procedures in a year.

Use of Angioplasty Stent:
Angioplasty stent is a very small mesh tube similar to a tiny spring. It’s an ideal devise in facilitating the emergency heart-related ailments like heart attacks. In 1977, the method of stent-based angioplasty procedure was first introduced. A stent is inserted in the gradually shrinking channel of the artery to make it free from the plaque which resists the normal flow of blood through the affected artery. Since then, rapid improvement has been experienced in the angioplasty stent manufacturing industry. At present, different varieties of angioplasty stents are in use in the surgery procedures. Some stents are coated with medicines which protects the affected artery from further blockage of plaques. Angioplasty stents are widely used in operating the heart-attack patients; here the only exception comes when the artery channel is too small for inserting an angioplasty stent in it.
Angioplasty surgery with a stent helps avoiding the greater risk factors associated with the other traditional method of heart surgery as bypass heart surgery. This procedure is less complex in nature, and less time consuming, moreover, in the stent surgeries wastage of blood remains at a minimal level which greatly helps a patients in recovering fast. Stent angioplasty helps a heart-attack patient in relieving chest pain experienced by reduced blood flow in the heart. It protects the heart muscles by keeping the damage level at a minimal at the minimum. The damage causes when constant supply of blood is cut off to a particular area of the heart.
Angioplasty procedure with stents has been observed as the most beneficial method to the heart patients. It has been found as the most effective device for the following reasons:
• While undergone a stent based angioplasty procedure, 20 out of 100 patients the artery may again get blocked in next 6 months.
• When a stent is not used, in 40 out of 100 patients the artery may again get blocked in next 6 months.
• So far, a stent has been the best among the artery plaque remover devised as the other devises cut and injure the inner wall of the arteries while removing the deposited plaques.
Only in the United States, more than 1 million people undergo angioplasty procedure. In most cases angioplasty stent is used. As people are getting educated with the updated medical information, they too prefer the stent-based angioplasty surgeries. Here the question is: Who does the best in this domain? The answers are:
• The cardiac surgeons who has performed more than 75 angioplasty surgeries in a year.
• Those hospitals/healthcare facilities which has handled more than 400 successful angioplasty procedures in a year.
Use of Angioplasty Stent:
Angioplasty stent is a very small mesh tube similar to a tiny spring. It’s an ideal devise in facilitating the emergency heart-related ailments like heart attacks. In 1977, the method of stent-based angioplasty procedure was first introduced. A stent is inserted in the gradually shrinking channel of the artery to make it free from the plaque which resists the normal flow of blood through the affected artery. Since then, rapid improvement has been experienced in the angioplasty stent manufacturing industry. At present, different varieties of angioplasty stents are in use in the surgery procedures. Some stents are coated with medicines which protects the affected artery from further blockage of plaques. Angioplasty stents are widely used in operating the heart-attack patients; here the only exception comes when the artery channel is too small for inserting an angioplasty stent in it.
Angioplasty surgery with a stent helps avoiding the greater risk factors associated with the other traditional method of heart surgery as bypass heart surgery. This procedure is less complex in nature, and less time consuming, moreover, in the stent surgeries wastage of blood remains at a minimal level which greatly helps a patients in recovering fast. Stent angioplasty helps a heart-attack patient in relieving chest pain experienced by reduced blood flow in the heart. It protects the heart muscles by keeping the damage level at a minimal at the minimum. The damage causes when constant supply of blood is cut off to a particular area of the heart.
Angioplasty procedure with stents has been observed as the most beneficial method to the heart patients. It has been found as the most effective device for the following reasons:
• While undergone a stent based angioplasty procedure, 20 out of 100 patients the artery may again get blocked in next 6 months.
• When a stent is not used, in 40 out of 100 patients the artery may again get blocked in next 6 months.
• So far, a stent has been the best among the artery plaque remover devised as the other devises cut and injure the inner wall of the arteries while removing the deposited plaques.
Only in the United States, more than 1 million people undergo angioplasty procedure. In most cases angioplasty stent is used. As people are getting educated with the updated medical information, they too prefer the stent-based angioplasty surgeries. Here the question is: Who does the best in this domain? The answers are:
• The cardiac surgeons who has performed more than 75 angioplasty surgeries in a year.
• Those hospitals/healthcare facilities which has handled more than 400 successful angioplasty procedures in a year.

What is Coronary Angioplasty?

Coronary angioplasty is a surgical procedure related to a plaque-blocked heart. It is performed to resume normal flow of blood which was affected because of blockage or gradually narrowing of the artery channels in the heart. The arteries of the heart are named as the coronary arteries. These coronary arteries may become blocked due to deposition of plaques formed by fatty cholesterol and some other kind of fats. The plaques resist normal blood flow by narrowing the inner cavity of the coronary artery. An affected person first complains of chest pain, shortness of breath, and finally become a victim of heart attack. To immediately restore normal blood flow in the coronary arteries the surgery called ‘Angioplasty’ is performed. The most modern and popular technique is ‘stent-based’ angioplasty surgery.