Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI)
Wellstar’s interventional cardiology team performs advanced, minimally-invasive techniques to treat coronary artery disease and heart attacks, including robotic PCI.
Expert PCI Treatment for Coronary Artery Disease
Wellstar interventional cardiologists across Wellstar prevent and treat heart attacks with percutaneous coronary intervention — or PCI. Robotic PCI is offered at select Wellstar locations.
Previously known as coronary angioplasty, PCI is a non-surgical procedure that opens up narrowed blood vessels in the heart to prevent or treat heart attacks. The benefits of having a PCI typically include shorter procedures, fewer complications and faster recovery time. After someone undergoes a PCI, the stay in the hospital is only a few hours or a single night following, as opposed to several days after an open heart procedure.
People with narrowed arteries who are not candidates for medication or surgery may also be candidates for PCI. Continual or increasing chest pain and shortness of breath are symptoms of a narrowed artery.
Learn more about Wellstar’s interventional cardiology program.
Previously known as coronary angioplasty, PCI is a non-surgical procedure that opens up narrowed blood vessels in the heart to prevent or treat heart attacks. The benefits of having a PCI typically include shorter procedures, fewer complications and faster recovery time. After someone undergoes a PCI, the stay in the hospital is only a few hours or a single night following, as opposed to several days after an open heart procedure.
How a PCI is performed
To perform a PCI, healthcare providers thread a catheter into a leg artery and guide it up to the heart. With the catheter, they insert a medical device — such as a balloon or mesh tube or stent — to keep the narrowed or blocked artery open.Robotic PCI
Wellstar offers robotic PCI at Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center and Wellstar North Fulton Medical Center. Doctors use robotic instruments to direct the catheter and insert the balloon or stent. The technology gives your interventional cardiologist enhanced visualization and positioning with the ability to adjust the tube one millimeter at a time. Because of the high level of precision and control, someone who is treated with robotic PCI usually has a shorter procedure, which can lead to better outcomes for patients.Who is a candidate for PCI
PCI is often performed under emergency conditions, to treat someone who is having a heart attack, which is typically caused by plaque buildup in the arteries. Heart attack symptoms include chest pain, stomach pain, shortness of breath and heart palpitations.People with narrowed arteries who are not candidates for medication or surgery may also be candidates for PCI. Continual or increasing chest pain and shortness of breath are symptoms of a narrowed artery.
Learn more about Wellstar’s interventional cardiology program.