“What procedure is used to clear a blocked artery?”
I was diagnosed with a blocked artery. I want to fix it. What procedure is used to clear a blocked artery?
2 Answers
Samuel Williams, III
Internist
The procedure has a fancy name, but it involves inserting a thin machine into the stopped up artery and wiggling or vibrating it to loosen up the blockage. Then utilizing various chemicals to keep it open, and sometimes adding a stent, et cetera.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Kent Matsuda
Internist
Several procedures can be used to clear a blocked artery. One procedure puts a wire through the obstruction so that a balloon can be inflated and open the artery. Another procedure is called an arterectomy, when the blockage is removed piecemeal from inside the artery or is surgically entered from the outside to remove the obstruction and sew the artery up again. Sometimes, the obstructed artery needs to be surgically bypassed with the removal of another artery in the body and patched in on both sides of the obstruction to allow the blood to bypass the obstruction. In some cases, the artery is left alone if the obstruction is large and blood is already flowing around the obstruction via the surrounding blood vessels.
