First Time for Angiogram

Current Postings on This Page (5):

• I had the angiogram on monday and was back home in the afternoon. The person doing it could not find any blockages and said i was fine. Keep off the smokes, heat more healthy and loose 25 lbs. I wasn't sure if i was relieved or suspicious of not finding anything. Honestly I had built up a whole scenario of me been sent off for bypass surgery and worse. I'm a bit sore and taking the rest of the week off work. I want to thank the folks in the cardio dept of ST Rose Dominican Siena in Henderson NV. They put my mind at rest and looked after me real well throughout the day. Thank you as well for your kind responses.
Steve, Nevada, USA, October 3, 2007

• Hi Steve, This note comes to you from the beautiful island of Barbados in the Caribbean, I had a heart attack 1 Feb 2002, like you failed a stress test and had angiogram done...which reveal 60% blockage in the RDA, was placed on meds, but had pain in the chest again on March 2003, had another angiogram..found 90% blockage on the same RDA...was send over to the States, Holmes Regional Medical Center, Melbourne, Florida. Had another angio done and stent placed. This is going now four year and some months..(knock on wood) and no major problems as yet. So just keep your chin up and do what your doctors suggest...ask your doctors loads of questions, read information relating to heart disease, and most of all keep on your meds..and never never smoke again..so all the best, and I hope I was of some comfort Regards Hal
hal, Barbados, October 3, 2007

• Steve, Understand your anxiety. This procedure is relatively routine these days. I have had two (2) done with the last one resulting in the insertion of 2 "drug-emitting" stents done on August 10 of this year. After the procedure I wondered why I was so concerned. I chalked it up to fear of the unknown.
D., Washington DC, USA, October 2, 2007

• Steve -- an angiogram or catheterization or "cath" is the gold standard for determining what the actual status of the coronary arteries is. It's a common procedure. Sometimes stress tests are positive, but a cath turns out to show little disease. However, sometimes a definite obstructive blockage is found (also called a lesion or stenosis). Our suggestion is to discuss your options with your cardiologist before the cath, so you are clear what might occur. Is his/her plan to open up any significant blockage found with a balloon/stent during the cath or will this just be a diagnostic cath procedure? If an interventional is performed, this is called an ad hoc angioplasty and is usually done when there is no question that this particular blockage is significant and is causing a problem -- the angioplasty takes very little addiitonal time and saves having to perform the entire cath procedure again at a later date. If a stent is planned, will the cardiologist be using a bare metal or a drug-eluting type? Just be aware of the requirements for patients to stay on antiplatelet therapy for a year or more after drug-eluting stents to prevent late stent thrombosis. This is not usually a problem, unless you are going to need surgery, or unless you have bleeding problems or are allergic to Plavix or aspirin. Your cardiologist knows about these things, but make sure you do as well and let your cardiologist know if there might be circumstances that could prevent you from complying. And let the Forum know how you do. Good luck!
Forum Editor, Angioplasty.Org, September 30, 2007

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