00:00An angioplasty and stent placement opens blocked arteries.
00:05The procedure requires a cardiac catheterization.
00:10Now we're inside a heart artery.
00:13Here's the plaque that's blacking the flow of blood.
00:16And here comes the catheter.
00:18It has a balloon at its dip.
00:21Wrapped around the balloon is a tiny wire mesh cylinder called a stent.
00:27Once the balloon is in place, the doctor inflates it.
00:31As the balloon expands, the stent around it expands two together.
00:35The balloon and stent squash the plaque against the walls of the artery, making more room for
00:40the blood to flow.
00:44Then the balloon is deflated, but notice the stent remains expanded.
00:49It's still holding the artery open.
00:51The catheter and balloon are pulled out of the artery and out of the body, but the stent
00:56remains in place inside the artery, keeping it open.
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