Angioplasty PTCA 

Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty, or PTCA, is a minimally invasive technique for opening blocked coronary arteries and increasing blood flow to the heart muscle. The groyne region is first numbed with a topical anaesthetic. The doctor next inserts a needle into the femoral artery, which flows down the leg.

Disease Overview:

Blocked coronary arteries

Coronary artery disease is a narrowing or blockage of your coronary arteries caused by plaque accumulation. Coronary artery disease, also known as coronary heart disease, ischemic heart disease, and heart disease, is a kind of coronary artery disease.

Signs and Symptoms

Since you might not experience symptoms at first, you may not realise you have coronary artery disease. Plaque builds up in your arteries over time, from years to decades. However, when your arteries constrict, you may have moderate symptoms, indicating that your heart is working harder to transport oxygen-rich blood to your body. The most typical symptoms are chest discomfort or shortness of breath, which can occur even when doing nothing but going up stairs.

When you have coronary artery disease, you may not realise it until you have a heart attack. A heart attack can cause the following symptoms:

Heaviness, tightness, pressure, hurting, burning, numbness, fullness, squeezing, or a dull pain are some of the symptoms of chest discomfort (angina). The pain may spread to your left shoulder, arms, neck, back, or jaw, or it may just be felt in your left shoulder.

• Feeling exhausted
• Lightheadedness and dizziness
• Nausea
• Weakness

Women's heart attack symptoms differ somewhat from men's and include:

• Shoulders, neck, abdominal (belly), and/or back pain and distress.
• Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or heartburn.
• Anxiety that isn't explained.
• Cold sweat.

Disease Causes:

Coronary artery disease affects everyone at some point in their lives. The rate at which it develops varies from one individual to the next. When you're young, the process normally begins. The blood vessel walls begin to develop fat streaks before your teen years. As plaque builds up in the inner walls of your arteries, your body responds by sending white blood cells to attack the cholesterol, but the attack produces further inflammation.

You're more likely to get coronary artery disease if you:

• Have a high level of cholesterol (particularly high LDL "bad" cholesterol and low HDL "good" cholesterol)
• Have a high blood pressure condition
• Heart disease runs in the family
• Have diabetes
• Smoking
• Post-menopausal woman or a male over 45 years old
• Overweight
• Physically inactive

Diagnosis:

Your cardiologist (heart doctor) will question you about your symptoms, assess your medical history, evaluate your risk factors, and do a physical exam unless your condition is an emergency (you're experiencing a heart attack or stroke).

The following tests may be used to diagnose you:

Electrocardiograph (ECG) tests are used to record the electrical activity of the heart. Can identify heart attacks, ischemia, and irregular cardiac rhythms.

Exercise stress tests: This is a treadmill test that determines how well your heart performs while it is under the most strain. Can identify angina and obstructions in the coronary arteries.

Pharmacologic stress test: Instead of utilising exercise to test your heart when it is working the hardest, medication is given to raise your heart rate and simulate activity. Angina and coronary occlusions can be detected using this test.

Coronary calcium scan: This test determines how much calcium is present in the walls of your coronary arteries, which might indicate atherosclerosis.

Echocardiogram: this test uses sound waves to determine how well your heart's architecture and general function are operating.

Blood testing: Triglycerides, cholesterol, lipoprotein, C-reactive protein, glucose, HbA1c (a marker of diabetes management), and other tests are ordered for variables that impact arteries.

Cardiac catheterization is a procedure in which tiny tubes are inserted into the heart's blood arteries to assess heart function, including the existence of coronary artery disease.

Other imaging tests that may be used include:

Nuclear imaging is a test that uses a radioactive tracer to create pictures of the heart.

CT angiogram: A 3D image of the moving heart is created using CT and contrast dye to detect blockages in the coronary arteries.

Disease Treatment

Your healthcare professional will discuss the best treatment strategy for you with you. To lower your risk of complications from coronary artery disease, such as heart attack and stroke, stick to your treatment plan.

Lifestyle Changes

Reducing your risk factors is the first step in treating coronary artery disease. This entails making lifestyle adjustments.

- Don't Smoke

- Manage Health Problems

- Heart healthy diet

- Avoid alcohol abuse

- Exercise

Medication

Your doctor will prescribe drugs to help you control your heart disease risk factors. The following are examples of heart-related drugs that you may be prescribed:

- to lower your cholesterol levels

- to lower blood pressure

- to stop angina

- to reduce the risk of blood clots

You'll be offered drugs to reduce your blood sugar level if you have diabetes and coronary artery disease.

Surgical procedures and procedures

Nonsurgical therapies to remove plaque accumulation in the arteries and prevent blockages are known as interventional procedures. Balloon angioplasty and stenting are two common techniques.

Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery involves creating a new path for blood to flow when there is a blockage in the coronary arteries.

If traditional treatment options are not successful, your cardiologist may recommend other treatment options, such as enhanced external counterpulsation (EECP). In this procedure, inflatable cuffs (like blood pressure cuffs) are used to squeeze the blood vessels in your lower body.

PTCA, or percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty, is a minimally invasive procedure for opening blocked coronary arteries and improving blood flow to the heart muscle. A topical anaesthetic is used to numb the groyne area first. A needle is then inserted into the femoral artery, which runs down the leg.