Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

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Trinity Health Michigan regularly performs percutaneous coronary interventions in order to unblock the heart and prevent heart attacks. Combining experience and patient-focused care, our expert physicians will restore your heart and return you to a happier, healthier lifestyle.

What is Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI)?

PCI is more commonly known as angioplasty and is a non-surgical method to prevent blockage in the heart and restore blood flow. If left untreated, excessive fat and cholesterol buildup — known as plaque — will eventually lead to a heart attack. Many factors contribute to the buildup of plaque, including your diet and exercise habits.

During this procedure, we use a long, thin tube called a catheter that has a balloon on the tip of it. The balloon is inserted into the artery and inflated at the blockage site to compress the plaque against the wall of the artery, increasing the flow of blood. In order to prevent the artery from becoming blocked again long term, a stent is usually put in place during angioplasty.