Unexplained pain in the chest, neck, jaw, or arm
Unexplained chest pain, jaw, neck or arm pain may require an emergent coronary angiogram. Unexplained pains in these areas can indicate a heart attack. A physician can eliminate other conditions that could cause unexplained symptoms by performing blood tests and physical exams. A physician will perform an urgent coronary angioplasty and angiogram procedure if he suspects a heartattack in a patient based on physical examination, symptoms reported, and other diagnostic tests.
The physician will also use special tools to widen the coronary artery if the urgent tests show that a attack is happening due to a narrowing. The balloon is usually attached to a catheter. The catheter with balloon is passed through the major artery of the pelvis and inflated in order to widen the narrowed coronary artery. The artery is then stented to restore blood flow and hold the artery open.
