Angioplasty.Org
Most Popular Angioplasty Web Site
   
Education
Coronary Stent
Angioplasty 101
Overview of the procedure for patients and support people; describes what to expect and prepare for.... (read more)
CT Scanner
Tests and Diagnosis
Scheduled for a cardiac cath? A stress test? A MultiSlice CT scan? This section tells you what to expect, how to prepare and what the most recent developments are....(read more)
Transradial Artery Approach
Transradial (Wrist) Approach
Most caths are done from the groin artery in the leg, but the using the radial artery in the wrist increases patient comfort and reduces complications.... (read more)
-- This special section is supported by Medtronic
Transradial Artery Approach
Patient FAQ: Transradial (Wrist) Approach
We've collected firsthand quotes from top doctors in the field and from patients who've had wrist approach procedures to help you be an educated and active participant in your own medical care. .... (read more)
-- This special section is supported by Medtronic
Drug-Eluting Stent on a Balloon
Drug-Eluting Stents
The how, what and why of these devices....(read more)

in-depth article
Devices: A Guide to Balloons and More
Survey of interventional techniques (balloon angioplasty, drug-eluting stents, atherectomy, intravascular ultrasound) currently used as treatments for coronary disease....(read more)
Andreas Gruentzig and his balloon
The History of Angioplasty
The year 2012 will mark the 35th anniversary of coronary angioplasty. View videos, interviews, photos and more about the emergence of this field in our History Center....(read more)
Adolph Bachmann
Video: The First Angioplasty
In September 1977, Dr. Andreas Gruentzig found his ideal patient to be the first person treated with coronary angioplasty. Adolph Bachmann, 37 years old, was in a Zurich hospital, awaiting bypass surgery for debilitating angina. The story of this historic event is told in this exclusive video by Mr. Bachmann himself, now in his his seventies, and his physician. Mr. Bachmann continues to lead a productive life in his native Switzerland....(click here to see the video.)
Australian Health Council Cites Angioplasty.Org
in campaign to improve physician-patient communication.... (read more)
Heart
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Who We Are
Angioplasty.Org was created in 1997 as a community for physicians. Soon patients joined us and today we are the most popular angioplasty site on the Net. (read more...)
Winner of the "Freddie"
International Health and Medical Media Award.... (read more)
Selected as a top resource on Stents
by the Editors of

Empowerment
Patient and Doctor
An Informed Patient is a Healthier Patient
Findings in a report issued by the Blue Shield of California Foundation show that an informed patient is an empowered patient: one who feels more comfortable asking questions of one's healthcare provider, and making decisions about one's own healthcare.... (read more)
NSAID tablets
Patient Alert:
Don't Take NSAIDs After a Heart Attack
A Danish study of almost 100,000 patients has concluded that the use of NSAIDs is associated with persistently increased coronary risk regardless of time elapsed after first-time MI.... (read more)
Plavix and stent
Patient Alert:
How to Get the Best Price on New Generic Plavix
A survey by Angioplasty.Org shows prices range from 35¢ to $6 per pill. Are you paying too much for your antiplatelet medication?.... (read more)
FFR measuring intracoronary pressure
Patient Alert:
Is This Stent Necessary?
A new technique for answering this question is so accurate that a recent clinical trial measuring stents vs. medical therapy was stopped "for ethical reasons".... (read more)
Medtronic Resolute Integrity Drug-Eluting Stent
News for Patients:
New Drug-Eluting Stent Okayed for Diabetics
The FDA has approved Medtronic's new zotarolimus-eluting stent specifically for use in diabetic patients, a population that historically has seen less than optimal outcomes for percutaneous coronary interventional procedures.... (read more / see video)
Doctor & Patient
Five Crucial Questions To Ask Your Doctor About New Heart Disease Treatments
25,000 cardiologists met at the 2011 ACC meeting to discuss innovations and studies: what does this mean for patients?... (read more)
virtual histology IVUS
Does Your Cardiologist Use IVUS or FFR?
New Techniques Can Help Doctors Decide Who Needs a Stent
What to ask your doctor about intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) and Fractional Flow Reserve (FFR).... (read more)
Ambulance and hospital
Surviving Heart Attack: Get Me To The Door On Time!
Why you should go to a hospital where emergency angioplasty is done if you are having a heart attack.... (read more)
Transradial Hospital
Radial Hospital Locator
Find a doctor who practices the transradial (wrist) approach to angiograms and angioplasty.
Doctor & Patient
You and Your Physician
Take charge of your healthcare and become a partner with your physician; includes key "questions to ask your doctor."... (read more)
Caregivers
Caregivers If you're a spouse, son or daughter, relative or friend, this article will help you through the treatment process and aftercare. ... (read more)
Heart stent patient competing in triathalon
After Angioplasty
Managing coronary artery disease to maximize your health and well-being.... (read more)
Community
The Activated Patient
"The Activated Patient" Blog
Angioplasty.Org's patient blog provides news, information and action resources to help empower heart patients to take control of their health. Follow "The Activated Patient" blog on Twitter
Reyna Robles
Myocardial Bridging: Heart Patients and Social Networking
Angioplasty.Org's Heart Patient Forum contains 10,000 posts in 200 topics; it receives 50,000 page views a month, from Boston and Biloxi to Britain and Bangladesh. Patients share stories and questions about heart disease, stents, angioplasty, bypass surgery, allergic reactions, medications and the occasional "odd" topic -- in this case "Myocardial Bridging".... (read more)
In The Forum, Patients Are Talking About...
Patients: Sign Up Now!
Sign up for news on new treatments, disease management tools, caregiver support and more.
What Doctors Are Saying...
Sanjay Patel, MD FACC
"Patients are My Best Advocate, Best Marketing Tool for Transradial"
Interview with Dr. Sanjay Patel
Using the transradial (wrist) approach has made a major difference in Dr. Patel's Houston-based practice. 2 years ago no one in his hospitals was doing radial procedures; today Dr. Patel runs monthly training courses... (read more)
What Doctors Are Reading...
Questions About Stents
Stents "Inappropriate" Only 4% of the Time
From the Editor's Blog: A recent study of a half-million patients refutes two major myths about stent use in the U.S.: (1) that angioplasty is vastly overused and unnecessary in most cases; and (2) that most angioplasty is used in stable patients and has little or no benefit over drugs in reducing death or heart attacks.... (read more)
What People Are Saying About Angioplasty.Org:
"Everyone, please consider donating to this site, it is a wealth of information and comfort. Where else can you get such great information AND expedited? My dr's don't return phone calls as quickly as I've gotten responses here!" -- Denise, Connecticut, USA
"Angioplasty.Org is awesome; I always refer patients to it. It makes a difference big time. They go and they look and see all the people interviewed and these well-known cardiologists around the world talking about it, and it takes that anxiety away." -- Sanjay Patel, MD, Houston, Texas, USA
"Thanks to Angioplasty.Org for all the info which helped a lot in my decision making and post procedure recovery." -- Muralidharan, Chennai, India
"I just want you to know that you probably saved [my husband's] life by telling your story, and I want to thank you for it." -- Marie, Canada