Angioplasty is a minimally invasive treatment proven to be effective in improving blood flow and circulation in the arteries which have become narrow or blocked.
Cardiologists perform this procedure by inserting a catheter into the blocked blood vessel before inflating a balloon to open the artery and placing a stent to keep it open.
Angioplasty has been an effective alternative to open-heart surgery for coronary artery disease patients. It helps eliminate chest pain symptoms while decreasing heart attack risks. Moreover, those who seek minimally invasive surgery for blocked arteries often want to go for angioplasty.
However, the life-saving angioplasty procedure may present some unique challenges when it comes to diabetic patients. Not to mention, patients with diabetes often experience faster cardiovascular disease progression which may complicate their treatment results even further.
Due to diabetes, blood vessels all over the body become vulnerable to inflammation while fatty deposits may also accumulate. So, the distinct physiological responses in diabetic patients raise significant concerns regarding the safety and effectiveness of angioplasty in diabetic patients as compared to non-diabetic individuals.
Is Angioplasty Safe for Diabetic Patients?
There are multiple factors at play when it comes to determining the safety of angioplasty for diabetic patients, such as:
- overall health status at the time of treatment,
- diabetes management,
- and the medical team’s skill level and expertise.
As per many expert cardiac doctors, taking all the necessary precautions can make it possible to perform the angioplasty procedure safely on diabetic patients too.
What cardiologists mainly tend to focus on during the treatment is ongoing care. And for good reasons; because patients with diabetes need specialized medical attention at each stage of the angioplasty process in order to avoid complications.
Thus, angioplasty is usually a safe procedure for diabetic patients when proper pre and post treatment care is taken. But in the absence of proper care, the chances of complications increase.
Safety Profile for Diabetics
Research indicates diabetics experience greater complication rates than those who are non-diabetics because of the increased risk of restenosis. While there are drug-eluting stents to address this complication in diabetic patients, they may still be more likely to need repeat procedures than non-diabetic patients.
This is a concerning aspect that needs addressing with your doctor before the treatment begins if you are a diabetic who has been advised to get angioplasty.
Also, because the medical profile of diabetic patients is quite unique, the use of heart stents for them requires special attention. The coronary artery disease of diabetic patients is often more widespread with smaller blood vessels and more complicated lesions compared to those without diabetes.
This presents the doctors with a technical difficulty of stent placement, influencing the long-term results from the procedure.
In spite of the medical challenges, the safety profiles for diabetic patients needing stents have improved significantly due to modern advancements in stent technology and procedural methods. Having an understanding of all the risk factors can further help you devise individualized treatment strategies with your doctor.
Specific Risks and Considerations for Diabetic Patients
Angioplasty patients with diabetes must undergo detailed evaluations due to their unique risk profiles.
Most expert heart doctors and the best cardiologist in Patna advise in favour of taking all precautions to avoid the risk of complications in patients with pre-existing diabetes.
1. Restenosis Risk
This is usually a primary concern for diabetic patients undergoing angioplasty. In this condition, the treated artery narrows again, and what’s even more alarming is that this happens at double the rate in diabetic patients.
As a matter of fact, diabetes-related conditions trigger this increased risk. It is due to the elevated inflammatory responses and enhanced smooth muscle cell proliferation.
2. Kidney Complications
Kidney complications present another significant concern. Patients with diabetes usually have some pre-existing kidney dysfunction which increases their risk of developing contrast-induced nephropathy due to the angioplasty procedure.
Patients with advanced diabetes face an even increased risk of compromised kidney function from such conditions.
3. Wound Healing
The occurrence of post-procedural wound healing complications is higher in patients who suffer from diabetes.
In many diabetic patients, the wound healing process at the insertion site may be slow and become more susceptible to infections because of impaired blood flow and weakened immune system functionality.
Not to mention, diabetic patients usually have more widespread and severe atherosclerosis that targets multiple coronary vessels at once which presents challenges during treatment planning.
Managing blood sugar levels presents a significant challenge throughout both the surgical procedure and its recovery phase. The procedure itself causes stress which may lead to a temporary high sugar level after angioplasty (chances of perioperative hyperglycemia) that can disrupt healing and elevate the chances of infection.
On top of that, there are fasting requirements before the procedure, and that can also affect glucose levels. All this indicates the need for continuous monitoring in order to avoid complications.
How to Reduce Angioplasty Risks for Diabetic Patients?
Proper care after the procedure is over is paramount to ensure optimal recovery among diabetic individuals. Moreover, continuous evaluation of the treatment site is necessary to detect any signs of infection and delayed healing.
Following are some more precautionary action steps that can be taken to reduce the risk of complications from angioplasty:
1. Pre-procedure Tests
The risks in diabetic patients receiving angioplasty can be minimized through comprehensive pre-procedure evaluations.
A complete kidney function evaluation should be conducted with consideration for pre-hydration measures in order to prevent contrast-induced kidney damage due to angioplasty.
2. Medication Adjustments
Adjusting medications before medical procedures becomes crucial, especially for metformin. It should be temporarily discontinued before and after the medical procedure to reduce kidney strain.
3. Blood Sugar Monitoring
Monitoring blood glucose levels throughout the angioplasty procedure remains essential. In fact, your doctor should insist on you getting regular checkups before, during, and after the treatment procedure.
Stable blood sugar levels improve healing outcomes and reduce procedural complications, and that’s why maintaining blood sugar is important.
4. Use of Advanced Techniques
The use of specialized equipment along with advanced techniques can have a major impact on the treatment outcome. Diabetic patients have seen significant reductions in restenosis rates thanks to drug-eluting stents that release anti-proliferative medications.
Also, using radial artery access through the wrist instead of the groin minimizes bleeding complications and speeds up patient recovery.
In addition to all these measures, you may also choose to specifically follow a diet chart for diabetic patients after angioplasty. It can help achieve both steady blood sugar levels as well as maintain cardiovascular health recovery.
Note that appropriate management of both cardiovascular health and diabetes is required. This can be done with careful coordination between your cardiologist and diabetologist.
For this kind of comprehensive care, you may be better off taking your treatment from a super-speciality hospital like Big Apollo Spectra that offers all the care under one roof.
Benefits of Angioplasty for Diabetic Patients
Angioplasty provides many benefits to diabetic patients who suffer from coronary artery disease despite the procedure’s potential risk factors for diabetics.
The primary benefit you’ll get from angioplasty will be the improvement in blood circulation to the heart muscle. Successfully completing the treatment means you will have reduced symptoms of chest pain and breathlessness, which directly translates to a better quality of life.
You’ll also notice that it gets easier to regain the ability to perform daily activities and exercise due to the relief in these troubling symptoms. Due to this, diabetes management also gets easier with better control over blood sugar levels.
Moreover, we all know that angioplasty is much less invasive than bypass surgery. This also means reduced hospital stays and faster recovery. And because diabetic patients generally experience slower healing and higher surgical risks, angioplasty might be a more favourable treatment option for them.
Thus, diabetic patients who encounter acute coronary syndromes benefit from timely angioplasty. The procedure restores blood flow rapidly while preventing serious damage to heart muscle.
Nowadays, modern angioplasty techniques also ensure that the long-term outcomes from the procedure are good. This combined with aggressive medical treatment and doctor-advised lifestyle changes makes the treatment usually highly effective.
The procedure functions as a crucial aspect of total cardiovascular care and works alongside medications to manage risk factors, such as hypertension, dyslipidemia, and hyperglycemia.
A successful angioplasty procedure disrupts the vicious cycle in which deteriorating cardiac performance leads to poor diabetes management which in turn heightens cardiac disease progression.
Angioplasty Could Save Your Heart—Act Now!
Angioplasty remains a beneficial treatment choice for diabetic patients who suffer from coronary artery disease, even though there’s some chance of risks and complications.
All in all, diabetic patients who receive appropriate preparation before the procedure and are treated with specialized techniques can undergo the procedure safely. Follow-up care will also help improve treatment outcomes, long-term cardiovascular health, and quality of life.
Diabetic patients who experience cardiac symptoms or who have coronary artery disease should review these recommendations:
- It’s essential to work closely with your endocrinologist and cardiologist to achieve optimal diabetes control before any angioplasty procedure.
- Your distinct risk factors along with potential treatment strategies should be discussed in advance.
- After your procedure, strictly adhere to all the given instructions, especially concerning medication use and blood sugar level checks.
- Implement lifestyle adjustments that support heart health through regular exercise while you must also quit smoking and start eating healthier.
Big Apollo Spectra offers comprehensive cardiac services alongside specialized care for diabetics with heart conditions. The best super speciality hospital in Patna, Bihar is the preferred choice for expert cardiac treatment in the region.
So, when searching for the best heart hospital near me in Patna, consider Big Apollo Spectra in Agamkuan. The hospital houses skilled cardiologists who deliver the specialized cardiac treatment necessary for diabetic patients.
Lastly, what you should remember is that angioplasty is an effective treatment for immediate relief from the blockage in arteries. However, maintaining heart health in the long run involves continuous management of both diabetes and cardiovascular risk factors.
