Coronary angioplasty and stenting is a procedure used to open a blocked or narrowed coronary artery and restore blood flow to the heart muscle. It is one of the most common cardiac interventions performed after a cardiac arrest where a blocked artery has been identified as a likely cause, and is often carried out immediately following a coronary angiogram in the same session.
Angioplasty and Stenting — What’s the Difference?
Angioplasty refers to the use of a small balloon, mounted on a catheter, which is inflated inside the narrowed artery to compress the blockage and widen the vessel. In practice, angioplasty alone is rarely the end of the story. A stent — a small mesh tube, roughly the size of a pen spring — is almost always inserted at the same time to hold the artery open permanently and prevent it from narrowing again. The combined procedure is known as percutaneous coronary intervention, or PCI.
Modern stents are often drug-eluting, meaning they are coated with medication that is slowly released into the surrounding tissue to further reduce the risk of the artery re-narrowing (a process called restenosis).
What Happens During the Procedure?
The procedure takes place in a cardiac catheterisation laboratory (cath lab). Using the same catheter access that was established for the angiogram — usually through the wrist — the cardiologist guides a wire across the blockage, then passes the balloon catheter over it. The balloon is inflated to open the artery, the stent is deployed to keep it open, and the balloon is then deflated and removed. The stent remains in place permanently.
The procedure is performed under local anaesthetic and sedation. Most people are awake throughout and feel relatively little, though some experience a brief sensation of chest pressure when the balloon is inflated. The intervention itself typically takes between 30 minutes and an hour, though the full cath lab session may be longer.
After the Procedure
Following stenting, you will be prescribed dual antiplatelet therapy — most commonly aspirin combined with a second antiplatelet drug such as ticagrelor or clopidogrel. This combination is essential to prevent blood clots forming on the new stent, and it is important not to stop either medication without discussing it with your cardiologist, even if you feel well. The duration of dual antiplatelet therapy varies depending on the type of stent used and your individual circumstances, but is typically between six and twelve months.
You will usually be advised to avoid driving for at least a week and strenuous activity for a few weeks, and to attend cardiac rehabilitation. Most people who have had a stent inserted as part of their cardiac arrest treatment will have an ICD fitted as well — see our ICD page for more on living with an implanted device.
Further Information
The NHS website has a detailed guide to coronary angioplasty including risks, recovery, and long-term outlook.