Demonstrate the role of stents in Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (coronary angioplasty)
Introduction
The heart is a pump that circulates blood to the rest of the human body. It is positioned at the centre of the chest, just between the lungs. The network of blood vessels that branch over the surface of the heart are the coronary arteries. Figure 1 outlines the coronary arteries on the heart which supply the cardiac muscles with nutrients such as oxygen and glucose needed to survive [1].
Like any organ in the human body, the heart needs a constant supply of blood. Over time, fatty deposits can build up and form an atheroma on the artery lining. An atheroma is a hardened plaque caused by accumulated fatty deposits and scar tissue [2]. An …show more content…
A myocardial infarction is more commonly known as a heart attack. Sufferers of atherosclerosis are more likely to be the elderly, which can lead to coronary heart disease - the biggest cause of death in 2012 in the UK, killing over 64,000 people [3].
Coronary angioplasty
Angioplasty is the process of surgical repair or unblocking of a blood vessel. To prevent deaths from atherosclerosis and to relieve angina, an operation called Coronary Angioplasty can be carried out. The combination of using a stent and coronary angioplasty is known as Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) [2]. Coronary angioplasty is carried out by cardiologists who are the field of physicians, who deal with the diagnosis and treatment of heart defects such as coronary heart disease.
The …show more content…
The surgeon uses x-ray imaging to direct the catheter to the heart. A guide wire with a deflated balloon and stent at the tip is passed through the catheter. When the guide wire reaches the narrowed section of the artery, the balloon will inflate and open up the artery and the stent [7]. The balloon is inflated using a fluid which diminishes the atheromatous plaques against the artery wall. The balloon is deflated and the fluid is drawn out [1]. The stent is left in place to keep the artery open and the balloon is taken out back from the slit in the groin [7]. The procedure can be seen carried out in Figure
Introduction
The heart is a pump that circulates blood to the rest of the human body. It is positioned at the centre of the chest, just between the lungs. The network of blood vessels that branch over the surface of the heart are the coronary arteries. Figure 1 outlines the coronary arteries on the heart which supply the cardiac muscles with nutrients such as oxygen and glucose needed to survive [1].
Like any organ in the human body, the heart needs a constant supply of blood. Over time, fatty deposits can build up and form an atheroma on the artery lining. An atheroma is a hardened plaque caused by accumulated fatty deposits and scar tissue [2]. An …show more content…
A myocardial infarction is more commonly known as a heart attack. Sufferers of atherosclerosis are more likely to be the elderly, which can lead to coronary heart disease - the biggest cause of death in 2012 in the UK, killing over 64,000 people [3].
Coronary angioplasty
Angioplasty is the process of surgical repair or unblocking of a blood vessel. To prevent deaths from atherosclerosis and to relieve angina, an operation called Coronary Angioplasty can be carried out. The combination of using a stent and coronary angioplasty is known as Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) [2]. Coronary angioplasty is carried out by cardiologists who are the field of physicians, who deal with the diagnosis and treatment of heart defects such as coronary heart disease.
The …show more content…
The surgeon uses x-ray imaging to direct the catheter to the heart. A guide wire with a deflated balloon and stent at the tip is passed through the catheter. When the guide wire reaches the narrowed section of the artery, the balloon will inflate and open up the artery and the stent [7]. The balloon is inflated using a fluid which diminishes the atheromatous plaques against the artery wall. The balloon is deflated and the fluid is drawn out [1]. The stent is left in place to keep the artery open and the balloon is taken out back from the slit in the groin [7]. The procedure can be seen carried out in Figure