Why Does PAD Occur?
Plaque accumulation in your arteries, the blood channels that deliver blood from your heart to the rest of your body is known as PAD. Although it commonly affects the legs, it can also affect the arteries leading to the arms, head, stomach, or kidneys. A sticky mixture of calcium, fat, cholesterol and other elements makes up plaque. When you exercise, this condition may result in leg pain and induce a heart attack or stroke. If medication and dietary modifications haven’t sufficiently treated your PAD, your doctor can advise one of the following:
Angioplasty widens the artery to allow for greater blood flow, and a stent, a tiny mesh tube, helps maintain the artery’s openness. It’s a plaque removal with a therapist’s surgery to route blood around the obstruction through a bypass.
Angioplasty
A treatment called angioplasty is used to widen or unblock peripheral arteries to enhance blood flow. Your peripheral arteries carry blood filled with oxygen to your lower limbs. Plaque, a gooey substance, accumulates in these arteries if you have peripheral artery disease. Cholesterol, calcium, and other blood components make up plaque, which might gradually make your arteries smaller or entirely clog them. When this occurs, areas of your feet and legs don’t receive enough blood. Angioplasties open up the narrowed area of the artery to allow more blood to flow through.
What occurs throughout an angioplasty?
Most peripheral angioplasty procedures are performed in a hospital’s interventional suite or cath lab. You’ll be lying down and awake and receive medication through an intravenous (IV) line to assist with relaxation. A blood vessel (artery) in your arm, wrist, or groin is used to perform an angioplasty. Your physician will:
- To place a thin tube (a catheter) into a blood vessel, create a tiny opening.
- Using x-rays as a guide, thread the tube through the channel leading to the disease vessel segment.
- Fill your arteries with contrast dye. In the x-rays, the dye makes your blood vessels stand out.
- Switch out the first tube with a tiny deflated balloon on the end should be used in place of the first one.
- Inflate the balloon after guiding it inside the obstruction to force the plaque flat on the arterial wall. The artery widens, as a result, improving blood flow.
- To help keep the artery open, it is occasionally necessary to insert a tiny mesh tube. A stent is the name of the tube. Some stents have a medication coating that aids in preventing blood clot formation.
Conclusion
Angioplasty is exceptionally secure, and it is a minimally invasive procedure. Where the tubes were implanted, you might develop a bruise, feel sore, or experience some bleeding. Although they don’t occur frequently, more significant issues are possible. They can include a re-narrowing of the artery, severe bleeding, and blood clots.
