Heart Stents and Angioplasty Quality of Care Report

What is angioplasty?
Coronary angioplasty is a procedure that opens narrowed or blocked heart arteries using a small balloon placed directly inside the narrowed artery. The balloon is gently inflated to expand the artery. At the same time, a tiny expandable mesh tube, or stent, is usually placed in the blocked area to keep the artery open.

How many patients like me have you treated?
Some studies have found that hospitals performing a higher number of these procedures have better outcomes and fewer deaths than hospitals performing fewer procedures. Sharp does many of these procedures each year. Below you will find angioplasty volumes for the three Sharp hospitals that perform this procedure.

Angioplasty Procedures Performed at Sharp January Through December 2010

Surgery Type Sharp Chula Vista Sharp Grossmont Sharp Memorial
Angioplasty 480 644 491

For More Information
For more information about heart and vascular care at Sharp or to find a Sharp-affiliated doctor, search for a San Diego cardiologist or call 1-800-82-SHARP (1-800-827-4277), Monday through Friday, 8 am to 6 pm. To find general information about heart and vascular care, visit Cardiovascular Diseases in Adult Health or read the Heart and Cardiovascular News archive.