Angioplasty?

[DreamWeaver]

Hi Horde King....I just found out that my father went into the hospital this morning. He went to the doctors for a routine checkup and they found that his arteries are blocked. All I know now is that tomorrow he is going for surgery, and something about angioplasty. I think he had an aniogram and that's how they found the problem. I'm not too sure if these are they correct medical terms but can you explain any of this to me? Is this a routine surgery? What is an angioplasty and an aniogram? Is he going to be ok?

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[TheMojoPin]

I can't answer your questions, so I'll just wish you and especially your dad all the best. Good luck tomorrow!

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[GaryWyze]

<font color=purple>An angiogram is a test where in a flexible tube is inserted into an artery and dye is injected. I believe it allows doctors to see any clogs and the severity there of.

You can learn all about angipasty here - http://www.guidant.com/condition/pvd/angio.shtml?source=google - but basically a tube/balloon is inserted into the blocked or clogged artery/arteries so that blood may more easily pass through them.

Is he going to be ok?

He should be. This procedure has a high success rate. You're father's situation sounds very familar To David Lettermans, in that a routine check-up exposed the clogs. He, however, was much worst off and needed emergency by-pass surgery. The fact that your dad doesn't is a great sign. Also, him not having suffered a heart attack bolds very well for a quick recovery.

Good luck. I'll keep a good thought!

[HordeKing1]

G - I'm sorry to hear your dad needs an angioplasty. Honest doctors will tell you (when cross examined) that no surgery is "routine." However, this procedure is performed very often in the US and is not considered particularly risky.

Here's some general information:

1. The heart gets oxygenated blood from the coronary arteries. Sometimes, these arteries become blocked (or narrowed) b/c of an accumulation of "plueral plaque." Chest pain (angina) often comes from these blockages causing people to go for a checkup where they can be diagnosed by means of an angiogram - which your dad already had.

2. The purspose of the angioplasty is to "treat"
the blockages in the arteries. A very thin wire-like-device is fed into the coronary artery from an artery near the groin.

3. Small balloons used to be used exclusively for the procedure. When the blocked part of the artery was reached the balloon was inflated a few times and the artery stretched, opened up and permitted the free flow of blood once again. Now, many different methods are used to open up the artery, including laser (my friend's dad just had one), shunts, and springs that remain in the artery to keep it open. There are a few other methods in use, but I don't recall them off the top of my head.

Most people recover very nicely from this surgery and find themselves able to do more things than they did previously.

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[Crippler]

The shunt is presently the most-used form of Angioplasty (last I heard). But be forewarned, as I'm sure the doctor will have explained, these operations do not always take the first time. But this is not a horrible thing & it can be redone in a fairly short amount of time.

The soreness your father will have in his groin will not be pleasant, but that should be the extent of his pain. To echo what the King said, nothing is routine when you're on an operating table, but when it comes to Cardiology this is as close as it gets.

Good luck to him & God Bless you & your family.

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[hyperspace]

my dad had 3 angioplaties none of which worked and he ended up getting bypass surgery. however the heart is one area of medicine that they can really fix.

[DreamWeaver]

Well, I just spoke to my brother who was in the hospital all day with my father. I think he has to have open heart surgery. The doctor said that one of his arteries is completley clogged, another is 95% clogged, another is 80% clogged and the other is 50%. He said that my father has to have a triple bypass. I don't know what that means but this all seems to be getting much worse. Is angioplasty the same thing as a triple bypass? How did he go from being ok to having open heart surgery? I am very confused.

Thanks everyone for the info and the kind words.

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[ADF]

I think I went to school with Angie O'Plasty.

Angioplasty is an attempt to fix the vein or artery to keep it from blocking and causing a heart attack.

A bypass, however, is actually replacing the vein or artery with a section of vein or artery from another part of the body (usually the leg). It is indeed more serious. Opening up the body carries increased risks, but this operation is performed almost routinely. Chances are that this operation will add years to your father's life.

If you do a bit of research you can probably allay your fears somewhat. Try this..

http://www.jhu.edu/~newslett/02-26-98/Science/1.html

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[HordeKing1]

G - A bypass is done to a coronary artery when an angioplasty will not alleviate the occlusion. The degree of occlusion reported in 3 of your father's 4 coronary arteries are severe. The fourth one is moderate.

A bypass is indeed a much more serious surgery than an angioplasty, and no surgery is "routine" but bypasses are done very frequently and hopefully your dad will be fine.

If the surgery is successful, your dad's heart will start receiving the oxygenated blood denied it for far too long. He'll probably feel MUCH better. Even though the surgery is scary, it will in all likelihood achieve a very positive effect on your dad.

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[GaryWyze]

<font color=purple>

Gina, did everything go ok? Your dad is in my prayers.

[erole]

gina,

my heart and my prayers go out to you. right now my
grandfather is being hospitalized. he just went
through tumor removal from the brain, motor skill
dysfunction, and a host of other complications and
symptoms. it can be so scary going through situations
like this.
this is probably a tough time for you and yours.
remember that these operations are frequent and you
are all doing the right thing. keep your family close,
always ask the doctor questions, and come out of this
with that much more apprecitation for life and your
loved ones.
i hope all goes well. may your family be blessed with
love, wisdom, and understanding through this
situation. let us know how it all goes.

~jason


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[angrymissy]

Gina, I hope everything works out ok... I've had 3 family members get bypasses (one had a quadrulple) and they've all come out fine.

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[DreamWeaver]

Thank you guys so much. My pops had a quadruple bypass Wednesday morning. I've been at the hospital everyday and he's doing so much better. It was really scary at first seeing him like that with all the tubes in his mouth and staples in his legs. He was so drugged up on morphine that he didn't know we were there the first day and a half. My Grandmother being the old Italian woman that she is freaked and started screaming and crying in the ICU. "Poor me, why me, why did this happen"??? That was amusing. By today he was sitting up, eating and drinking and he even got a sponge bath. woo hoo! So if all continues to go well he will be home on Monday.

Thanks again for helping me undesrtand all of this and giving a shit.

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[HordeKing1]

I hope he has a speedy and complete recovery.

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