Chronic Total Occlusion is an artery blocked, either completely or almost completely, for at least 30 days. At the Heart & Vascular Institute, doctors have treated patients whose coronary arteries have been closed for years.
Percutaneous Coronary Intervention improves blood flow by placing an expandable stent in the artery. (This procedure was formerly known as angioplasty with stent.) In some cases, this procedure can be used as a substitute for coronary artery bypass surgery, which requires a large incision in the chest and a temporary stoppage of the patient’s heart.
The Heart & Vascular Difference: The Catheterization Lab at Hartford Hospital has the largest coronary angioplasty program in New England for the treatment of coronary arteries that have been blocked completely for extended periods.