Procedures Done for an Artery Blockage

Though medication and lifestyle changes can be helpful for artery blockages, in some severe situations more invasive procedures may be necessary. If your artery blockages are a direct threat to your organs or may rupture, your doctor may recommend one or more treatments designed to offer quicker treatment than drugs or exercise.

Angioplasty

• Angioplasty is a procedure where a deflated balloon is used to help flow of blood in your blocked arteries. Your doctor will insert a small tube into your arm or groin and feed it up to the arterial blockage. At the tip of this tube is the deflated balloon. When the tube reaches its proper place, the balloon is then inflated and the blockage, or plaque, is moved to the side of the arteries allowing blood to flow easier again. According to Medline, more than 1 million people have angioplasty annually in the United States.

Endarterectomy

• An endarterectomy is a procedure where the arterial blockage is removed surgically. The surgeon will cut an incision in the artery and then take out the plaque. Endarterectomies vary based on the location of the blockage. In some situations you will be put under general anesthesia or you may be kept awake using local anesthesia so the doctor can monitor decreasing blood supplies to the brain. Though an endarterectomy may be more invasive than other procedures, it is more effective and safer.

Other Procedures

• Another therapy your doctor may recommend is thrombolytic therapy if your artery is blocked up with a blood clot. Using a drug designed to dissolve blood clots, your doctor may inject it into the artery to break up the clot. Also, in very severe situations, your doctor may recommend bypass surgery. This involves the creation of a bypass using either synthetic material or a blood vessel from another part of your body. The blood will then be diverted around the blocked artery.