Risks of an angioplasty

As with all types of surgery, coronary angioplasty carries a risk of complications. However, the risk of serious problems is small.

Complications that can occur during or after an angioplasty include:

• Bleeding or bruising under the skin where the catheterwas inserted estimated to occur in more than one in every 20 cases
• Damage to the arterywhere thesheath was inserted estimated to occur in less than one in every 100 cases
• Allergic reaction to the contrast agent used during the procedure estimated to occur in less than one in every 100 cases
• Damage to an artery in the heart estimated to occur in less than one in every 350 cases
• Excessive bleeding requiring a Blood transfusion estimated to occur in less than one in every 100 cases
• Heart attack , stroke or death estimated to occur in less than one in every 100 cases

Who's most at risk?

Several factors increase your risk of experiencing these complications. These include:

• Your age the older you are, the higher the risk
• Whether the procedure was planned (for angina ),or is emergency treatment for or after a heart attack emergency treatment is always riskier because there's less time to plan it and the patient is already unwell
• Whether you have kidney disease the contrast agent used during an angioplasty can occasionally cause further damage to the kidneys
• Whether more than one coronary artery has become blocked this is known as multi-vessel disease
• Whether you have a history of serious heart disease , including heart failure

Your cardiology team can give you more information about your individual circumstances and level of risk.