Cardiology Conference-CVC 2026

Coronary Angioplasty, or Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI), is a non-surgical procedure meant to reopen blocked arteries in people with coronary artery disease (CAD). CAD happens when plaque accumulates in the coronary arteries and makes them narrower or blocks them, decreasing oxygen to the heart muscle and sometimes leading to angina or heart attacks.

Throughout the process, a balloon-tip catheter is advanced through the blood vessels to the blocked area. The balloon is then expanded to expand the artery, and for most procedures, a stent is left behind to keep the vessel open. New drug-eluting stents lower the likelihood of restenosis and enhance long-term results.

Evaluation of the patient consists of coronary angiography, ECG, echocardiography, and evaluation of risk factors like hypertension, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia. Timing and the technique of the intervention are left to the heart team to decide.

Advantages of coronary angioplasty are alleviation of angina symptoms with the intervention being immediate, prevention of myocardial infarction, enhanced exercise tolerance, and an improved quality of life. Recovery is quicker than in surgical procedures such as CABG, and most patients return to normal in days.

Post-procedure management includes antiplatelet therapy, lifestyle modification, and follow-up at regular intervals to check for heart health. Improved imaging, catheter, and stent technologies have made coronary angioplasty less risky and more successful, and it has become the pillar of current interventional cardiology for the treatment of coronary artery disease.""