More Thai people today are developing heart disease, which is a potential cause of death. However, if this abnormally is detected quickly enough through accurate diagnosis and effectively treated, it is possible to minimize various risk factors.
Risk Groups Suitable for Screening
Stenosis and obstruction in the coronary arteries can lead to chest pain and excessive fatigue due to insufficient blood supply to the heart muscles. Often referred to as “ischemic cardiomyopathy”, most patients experience symptoms when exercising, angry, enraged or stressed, because the heart has to work harder during these moments and thus requires more blood supply, but stenotic blood vessels cannot deliver additional blood supply to the heart, thus leading to the aforementioned symptoms.
How necessary is coronary angiography?
When your doctor preliminarily asked you about your history and suspects risk of coronary artery stenosis or obstruction, it would be necessary to undergo coronary angiography in order to examine the coronary arteries before beginning treatment. This is because angiography allows you to determine the site of coronary artery stenosis or obstruction in the heart, and your doctor will be able to examine your blood vessels to check for stenosis, including the site of the abnormality. To perform this procedure, a small catheter about 2 millimeters in diameter will be inserted to an artery located at the wrist or the groin, and the results from coronary angiography will provide the final answer for your appropriate treatment. Your doctor might consider perform a procedure to dilate your coronary artery with a balloon at the same time if they conclude that the artery is suitable for treatment by balloon and stenting. Angiography involves the injection of a contrast medium into your artery. The contrast media is up to standard and certified to be safe to your body, since it is just iodine, which is abundant in seafood. However, patients undergoing this test must report their background information on whether they are allergic to seafood, since the test might cause an allergic reaction.
Safe in Every Step under the Doctor’s Supervision
Before undergoing angiography, in addition to having to report to your doctor whether or not you have a food allergy, you should also provide details about your chronic diseases and medications. The doctor will explain the procedure to inform both the patient and relatives before they decide to receive treatment. Then the patient will have to fast from food and beverages in the night before the procedure by at least 6-8 hours, and then saline will be administered and the skin will be cleaned to prepare it for catheterization. The contrast medium will be injected, and an x-ray will be taken periodically in order to thoroughly examine you. If the doctor detects vascular stenosis or obstruction that requires balloon treatment, it would be possible to perform the additional procedure right away. The patient will be conscious during the test and can communicate with their doctor, and the entire procedure requires about 20-30 minutes on average, but this can increase to about 45 minutes to 1 hour if the patient requires a balloon procedure to expand a coronary artery. After the test, the doctor will remove the catheter from the patient and apply pressure to the site of catheterization to stop bleeding, or else a drug or device may be used to help stop the bleeding faster, depending on the case. In most cases, if the patient experiences no other complications, the patient will be able to drink and eat right after the procedure.
