Heart blood vesel shrink

[ramuvirginia]

Hi,

A doctor in India diagonized that my brother had a mild heart attack a week ago due to block in one of his heart blood vessels. The Doctor asked us take Angiogram and diagonized that one of his heart blood vessel is shrunk upto 60% and is blocking the blood flow.Now he wants to perform a surgery called "Angioblast" which involves blowing some air in to blood vessel and widening the vessel in the area where it is shrunk and he is charging us huge sum of money to perform this surgery.Can anyone please suggest if this is the correct procedure to do. When i searched for "Angioblast" over internet i couldn't find anything relevant to what doctor said.

Any help will be appreciated.

[kenkeith]

An angioplasty (not surgery) is the introduction of a cath up through the vessels into the coronary (heart) vessels.  The procedure is to expand the area of interest with a balloon and then insert a stent to hold the artery open.  The individual is awake during the entire procedure but medicated, and usually the vessel hasn't shrunk, but there is a plague formation that narrows the opening.

The American Academy of Cardiologists and American Heart Association have guidelines to follow, and that is not stent any artery that is less than 70% blocked.  There are exceptions and that could be to stent if medication does not control angina (chest pain).

There has been a trail study done a year or so ago that indicates people with coronary artery disease (blocked, narrow) and are treated medically or with a stent or open heart surgery do have an an increase in longivity.  I have a totally blocked LAD and a 70% blocked circumflex and for the last 4 years been treated with medication and feel very well.  Bottom line if pain can be controlled, there is no need to angioplasy and stent.

The trial study is the COURAGE study.  You can google COURAGE study for more information.  Hope this helps you.