Percutaneous coronary intervention, also known as PCI, is also referred to as interventional cardiac catheterization and includes a variety of procedures used to treat patients with diseased arteries of the heart, such as:

• Chest pain caused by a buildup of fats, cholesterol, and other substances from the blood (referred to as plaque) that can reduce blood flow to a near trickle.
• A heart attack caused by a large blood clot that completely blocks the artery.

Percutaneous coronary intervention is a non-surgical treatment for blocked or narrowed passages in one or more of the coronary arteries and can be done in several ways, including:

This is performed by threading a catheter (thin tube) with a balloon on the end through the groin or wrist into the narrowed artery. The balloon is then inflated at high pressure one or more times, depending on the severity of the narrowing or blockage, to widen the artery and allow blood to flow more easily through it.

A balloon catheter is used to move a thin metal scaffolding (a stent) into a narrowed coronary artery. The balloon catheter is inflated, which expands the stent to support the arterial wall and keep it dilated. The stent remains in the artery permanently and is effective at preventing re-narrowing of the artery. Over the following weeks, cells form a natural covering that will hold the stent firmly in place. Because the stent is a foreign object in the coronary artery, patients should receive a stent card that describes the type, date and location of the stent. No metal detectors will be set off due to stent implantation.

A more recent option in angioplasty is slowly releasing drugs that help prevent scar tissue from forming inside the stent during the healing process. Older stents sometimes caused new blockages to form and a return of symptoms, which often required another stenting procedure.

Generally, the test takes between one and two hours. However, if an artery blockage is detected, your physician may want to treat it with an additional catheterization procedure.

It is important that your stomach is empty for the test. You should usually not eat or drink after midnight the night before the test. Talk to your doctor about any medications you may be taking, and whether you should or should not take them as normal on the day of the test. In either case, you should bring all your medications, in their original containers, to the test to be sure your physician is aware of them.

Unless otherwise instructed by your doctor, continue to take your medications. Be sure to tell your doctor if you take a blood thinner such as Coumadin® or Plavix®. If you take medication for diabetes, please talk to your doctor about the dose that you should take the morning of the procedure. If you are taking medications, do so with a small sip of water. You will need to have someone drive you home.

You will be asked to change into a hospital gown. You may wear glasses, dentures and hearing aids during the procedure.