Most physicians advise their patients to undergo the angiogram procedure (also known as angiography and arteriogram) when certain symptoms such as a heart attack or chest pain become a source of worry. A stress test is performed on patients who report chest pain, which is then followed by an angiogram test.

Angiography procedure aims at testing the blockages in the coronary arteries apart from any other cardiovascular-related ailments. Angiography and angiogram procedure can both locate narrowing arteries or blockages that may exist in different parts of the body.

Angiography is recommended for patients with coronary heart diseases (CHD), which can cause the heartbeat to stop suddenly and abruptly. The patient may also suffer from severe chest pain. Angiography can also be performed on patients on an emergency basis when they experience a heart attack. If the blockage is not treated immediately, then healthy tissues around the heart start perishing and turn into scar tissue. It can give rise to several long-lasting problems. Angiography may also be required in the case of a patient with aortic stenosis or those who have had an abnormal heart stress test.

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is one of the most common heart diseases reported across the world. It results due to blood clot formation and plaque accumulation in the major blood vessels of the heart.

Balloon angioplasty is the most common endovascular procedure (procedure performed inside the blood vessel) carried out to treat coronary artery disease. In this procedure, the blood clots in the major arteries of the heart are detected and cleared by inserting a catheter into an artery of the hand (radial artery) or leg (femoral artery). This catheter consists of a balloon at its tip, which dislodges the clot to the periphery of the blood vessel after inflation.

Angioplasty may or may not be followed by coronary stent placement, depending on the angiography findings. This procedure is performed in patients with fewer blood clots in the vessels and those who do not respond to medications. It may also be carried out as an emergency procedure to treat a heart attack.

Signs and symptoms of plaque deposits in the heart

• Fatigue and dizziness due to insufficient blood supply to the tissues and overall decreased efficacy of the heart
• Shortness of breath to compensate for inadequate pumping of the blood
• Compromised blood flow to the heart resulting in heart attack, characterized by pain in the chest, lower jaw, and left arm

Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is a surgical procedure in which heat generated from medium frequency alternating current is used to ablate a tumour, a part of the electrical conduction system of the heart, or any other dysfunctional areas. The ablation therapy requires local anaesthesia and is done in an outpatient setting.

RFA is a popular treatment for the correction of any abnormality in the electrical system of the heart, which is confirmed during electrophysiology studies (EPS). During this test, the electrophysiology of heart is studied and any abnormalities are noted. The procedure used to correct the identified abnormalities associated with electrophysiology of heart is known as the cardiac ablation procedure.