Coronary Angiography And It's Need

Hi,

I am Dr. Vinay Jaiswal, Cardiologist and today I will talk about coronary angiography and its need. Coronary itself means heart, angio means arteries and graphy means the study of these arteries which means the study of arteries with the supply of blood to the heart. So, how do we do this procedure? We do this with local anesthesia. In coronary angiography, we pass a hollow empty tube through the arteries of the hand and growing into the heart and inject a liquid under x-ray guidance and we estimate the amount of stenosis which we call it as a blockage in common men language. And we estimate how much percent is the blockage. These lacks are lipid-rich, cholesterol gets deposit over a period of time. This process is called atherosclerosis. So we estimate the amount of blockage happening into our arteries. and what kind of treatment will be needed is suggested upon completion of angiography. That means a patient needs angioplasty or a patient needs a coronary bypass grafting or a patient can be managed medically. So, all patients need coronary angiography.

The patients who have symptoms of breathlessness mainly on climbing elevated grounds, climbing stairs or walking on elevated grounds or feeling of chest heaviness while walking, pain or discomfort while walking. Any patient who is having pain in the chest at rest or any patient who is suffering from a heart attack may need an angiography. If a patient is having the symptoms of exertion, a primary evaluation will be done by taking a routine ECG. A 2D echo will be done and if it is normal, a cardiac stress testing is done. And if we get any evidence of possible blockages then coronary angiography is suggested. In case of a heart attack, direct angiography and angioplasty are offered to a patient.

This modality of the treatment is called the primary angioplasty in myocardial infection. Other patients like the patient are having rest angina, that is unstable angina, then we suggest coronary angiography. The patient is having a valvular problem like severely narrowed valves with the age of more than 40-50 years in males, also need to undergo coronary angiography before they undergo valves surgery. So, these are few indications of a coronary angiogram. It is an invasive procedure with very minimal risk of bleeding and very minimal risk of stone. These complications are very rare and can be managed easily. To conclude, the coronary angiography is an invasive but safe procedure and has to be done only when indicated. You can reach me through Lybrate.

Thanks!