angioplasty patients can and should

Angioplasty Patients Can and Should Exercise

If you have had angioplasty and your doctor does not already have you

in as supervised exercise program, ask when you can start. In one

study from Bern, Switzerland, researchers showed that a three-month

exercise program can increase blood flow to the heart in people who

already have their coronary arteries blocked by plaques (European

Journal of Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation, April 2007).

The study participants were selected from patients who had stents

inserted to widen blockages in their coronary arteries. The longer and

harder the subjects were able to exercise, the greater the increase in

blood flow.

The blood flow to the heart muscle comes primarily from arteries on

the outside surface of the heart. Chest pain with exercise is usually

caused by narrowing of these arteries, which prevents adequate amounts

of blood to flow to the heart muscle. The heart muscle then suffers

from lack of oxygen and hurts. A heart attack occurs when plaques that

coat the inner lining of arteries leading to the heart break off and

travel down the ever- narrowing artery until they completely obstruct

the flow of blood to a part of the heart muscle. Then part of the

heart muscle that is deprived of oxygen dies and a person suffers a

heart attack. People with damaged coronary arteries are at higher risk

for heart attacks during exercise, so the study participants were

checked for blood flow to the heart before and after the program, and