Understanding Your Need for Stent Angioplasty

1. Understanding Your Need for Stent Angioplasty Blood vessels make up your circulatory system – also known as “the highway system of the body.” Composed of arteries and veins, the circulatory system is expansive and dynamic, providing your body with the transportation of blood, oxygen, and nutrients that it requires. However, with such dynamic characteristics, there are many possibilities for problems to occur. Over the course of your life, your blood vessels build up amounts of plaque that weaken the integrity of veins and arteries. While many will develop vascular diseases without any noticeable symptoms, there are certain factors that can increase your chances of having a number of vascular diseases with more noticeable symptoms. These include smoking, eating a poor diet, having high blood pressure, lack of exercise, and increased amounts of prolonged stress. However, not all vascular diseases are created equal and thus may require different treatment methods. Typically, vascular diseases can be treated early on with medication and lifestyle changes. Although, if you suffer from complete blockage of blood flow to parts of your body due to a vascular disease, it might be necessary to consider Stent Angioplasty. First, after consulting your general physician, you may be advised to visit a specialist or a practice dedicated to vascular diseases. Our physicians at USA Vascular Centers specialize in both diagnosing and treating our patients who suffer from vascular diseases and require intensive treatment. With renowned disease centers in California and Massachusetts, it has never been easier to find the ideal treatment for you. Each day, we treat patients who suffer from blocked arteries that require stent angioplasty. Simply put, angioplasty is a procedure where we widen the blocked artery, providing a healthy flow of blood to the affect parts of your body. When your arteries become lined heavily with plaque from an unhealthy diet or smoking, and medication alone does not work, the non- surgical procedure can be offered. Nearly painless and very effective, stent angioplasty has proven to be the next-best option for our patients. First, we begin by inserting a catheter into your affected artery. This catheter then inputs a small mesh stent that expands inside the artery. As it expands, the stent compresses the plaque formations and recreate blood flow. There is virtually no risk involved with the procedure and most patients are released from hospital within one day with no complications. It’s no wonder more patients experience faster recovery for their vascular diseases. At USA Vascular Centers, we have locations in four states across the U.S. providing more patients with effective treatment than anyone else. In California and Massachusetts specifically, we staff well-trained surgeons to diagnosis and operate on any number of patients with varying vascular diseases. Whether you require simple lifestyle changes, medication, or stent angioplasty, we promise to offer a clear and concise diagnosis that will provide the most effective treatment for your vascular disease.