During your angioplasty, a healthcare provider inserts a thin tube called a catheter into a blood vessel in your groin or wrist. The catheter is guided through your blood vessel to a blocked area in one of your heart’s arteries. The healthcare provider inflates a tiny balloon at the tip of the catheter and stretches the blocked vessel so blood can flow freely. The balloon is then deflated and removed with the catheter. The healthcare provider may also insert a metal mesh tube called a stent in the blocked vessel. The stent helps the vessel stay open. You may get several stents if you have blockages in more than one of your arteries.
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Ask someone to drive you to your appointments for the next few days.
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Rest for 2 to 3 days after the procedure. Most people are able to go back to normal activity within a few days.
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Check your incision for signs of infection every day for a week. Signs of infection include redness, swelling, drainage, or warmth. It's normal to have a small bruise or bump where the catheter was inserted. Take your temperature if you have fever or chills.
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Take your medicines exactly as directed. Don’t skip doses. It's important to take aspirin or other similar medicines for as long as your provider advises. If you were also prescribed clopidogrel, prasugrel, or ticagrelor, it's very important to take these medicines as well. These medicines prevent clots that could cause a heart attack. If you have a problem with any of your medicines, call your healthcare provider right away. And call your provider right away if you have bleeding, but go to the emergency room if the bleeding can't be controlled.
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Unless told otherwise, drink plenty of fluids to help flush your body of the dye that was used during your angioplasty. Let your healthcare provider know if the color of your urine changes and doesn't return to normal color.
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Eat a healthy diet that is low in fat, salt, extra sugar, and cholesterol. Ask your healthcare team for menus and other diet information.
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Exercise according to your healthcare team's advice. Depending on your case, your team may recommend you start a cardiac rehabilitation program. Cardiac rehab is an exercise program in which trained healthcare staff monitor your progress and stress on your heart while you exercise. Ask how to enroll if your team recommends this program.
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Don't swim or take a bath for 5 to 7 days. You may shower the day after the procedure, or as your healthcare provider has instructed. This keeps the incision site from getting too wet and possibly infected until the skin and artery can heal.