Cardiac catheterization with angioplasty is an option for treating heart attack. The procedure is performed to open a blocked blood vessel and to restore blood flow to the heart. This procedure appears slightly more effective than clot busting medication but requires timely access to a heart catheterization laboratory. The sooner this procedure is performed, the greater the chances of saving heart muscle and of surviving a heart attack.

During this procedure, a thin flexible tube, called a catheter, is threaded through an artery into the narrowed heart vessel. The catheter has a tiny balloon at its tip. The balloon is repeatedly inflated and deflated to compress the plaque and open the artery, improving blood flow. The balloon is then deflated, and the tube is removed.

Providers often insert a stent during the angioplasty. A wire mesh tube, the stent is used to keep an artery open after an angioplasty. The stent stays permanently in the artery, although in some cases the artery will grow into and around the stent, leading to re-blockage of the vessel. This is known as restenosis. The use of stents with a special coating on the surface has helped reduce the frequency of restenosis.