Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: An Overview

PCI remains the mainstay treatment for acute cardiac ischemia. The indications for PCI include Stable Ischemic Heart Disease, STEMI and NSTEMI. The procedure involves the use of a guided catheter steered to the site of coronary arterial blockage, followed by dilation of the balloon at its end to remove the blockage and placement of a stent to maintain the patency. The choice of stent varies from case to case. Certain alternatives and adjuvant therapies are incorporated in order to adapt to specific scenarios. Complications can arise, which may require operative intervention. Mortality rate associated with the procedure is affected by the age and gender of the patient. The decision to opt for either CABG or PCI is based on the complexity of the vessel disease, and scales like the SYNTAX score are used to make this decision.