Angioplasty is performed by a Consultant Cardiologist, supported by a dedicated team of experienced cardiac Radiographers, Nurses and Physiologists.

The procedure is carried out under local anaesthetic, which is applied to the area around your wrist or groin. Once the anaesthetic has taken effect, a small tube called a sheath is inserted into the artery.

The initial stage involves finding and identifying any narrowings that need to be treated. Once these have been identified, the Cardiologist will proceed with the angioplasty. The stent (small tube) is mounted around a small, deflated balloon on a guide wire, which is tracked along the narrowing. The Cardiologist will then inflate the balloon, widening the stent so it expands to keep your artery open. The balloon is then deflated and removed.

Depending on the number of stents you need, the process will be repeated until the identified narrowing is treated.

This will depend on the number of narrowings that are identified. Your Cardiologist will only be able to determine this during the procedure and will treat each narrowing that requires a stent.

Regardless of where you had your initial consultation, all surgical procedures take place at KIMS Hospital in Maidstone. Most outpatient appointments, including scans and tests, and follow up appointments with your Consultant, can take place at either KIMS Hospital or Sevenoaks Medical Centre.

The procedure is usually performed as a day case, which means you won’t need to stay overnight. Your Consultant will discuss this with you in more detail during your initial consultation.

Angioplasty is considered to be a safe procedure but, as with any operation, there may be a few after-effects. For a few days afterwards, you may have some bruising and soreness around the area where the sheath was inserted. You might also feel tired, but you should be back to normal within a week.

Our team will make sure you are given all the relevant information before you are discharged after your procedure, including who you can contact at the hospital if you have any concerns once you are home. The cardiac nursing team will contact you within the first week after discharge to discuss any issues and your recovery.

Shockwave IVL, or Shockwave Intravascular Lithotripsy, is a medical procedure that uses sonic pressure waves to safely treat calcified blockages within blood vessels, mainly in the coronary arteries.  It’s particularly useful when traditional angioplasty or stent placement might be challenging due to severe calcification. IVL makes operations safer and enables great stent placement and deployment reducing risks of further invasive procedures.

Shockwave IVL employs miniature sonic pressure waves generated by a catheter-mounted device. These waves pass through soft tissue but target calcified plaque. The controlled application of these waves causes the calcified deposits to fracture into smaller particles, allowing the blood vessel to be expanded more effectively.

Common side effects might include minor bruising at the catheter insertion site and temporary discomfort.

A private coronary angioplasty with stent insertion at KIMS Hospital starts from £11,346. You can use private medical insurance or pay for yourself. Flexible payment plans are available to spread the cost.