Type of Surgery

This animation describes percutaneous coronary interventions or PCIs. This procedure actually encompasses a number of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures such as angioplasty or balloon angioplasty. As the video describes, a catheter is inserted into the blood vessels and maneuvered into placed at the diseased portion of the coronary artery. A small balloon is inflated which opens the blocked artery. In most cases a coronary artery stent is left at the site to hold open the coronary artery.

Related Videos

Coronary Angiography

This video describes how the circulatory system works, how disease can affect blood vessels (atherosclerosis), and how doctors use angiography to test for coronary artery blockage.

What is ANGIOPLASTY and STENTING?

Sometimes used interchangeably, coronary angioplasty and stenting are actually two separate procedures. This video shows how coronary angioplasty and stenting are performed and how the two procedures differ.

How open abdominal aortic aneurysm surgery is carried out

Your aorta is the major artery leaving the heart, but extends to the abdomen. The video shows how a bulging out of the aorta (abdominal aortic aneurysm) is treated with a stent.

The Pacemaker of the Heart

Tiny electric currents flow through the heart muscle and cause them to contract, squeezing blood throughout the body. This animation shows the electrical system of the heart and how it is driven by a small patch of tissue called the cardiac pacemaker or sinoatrial node.

Other Information

If you need heart surgery, you don't want a surgeon who only got a C in medical school. The same principle applies in helping people with mental illnesses.


-Ken Duckworth

Find a Qualified Specialist

Looking for a specialist?

Please enter your zip code.