What are the clinical implications of coronary angiography?

Coronary artery disease is a heart disease in which the coronary arteries, the blood vessels supplying the heart, develop atheromatous plaque proliferation or combined with thrombosis. The result is a narrowing and blockage of the lumen, causing insufficient blood supply to the coronary arteries and ischemia or necrosis of the myocardium. The clinical manifestations of coronary artery disease often include angina pectoris, myocardial infarction, arrhythmia, heart failure and even cardiac arrest. Due to the lack of awareness and fear of coronary angiography, the clinical diagnosis of coronary artery disease is mostly based on clinical manifestations, which is highly subjective and not highly accurate. The patient is easily labeled as having “coronary heart disease” without the appropriate tests. As people’s understanding of coronary artery disease and the level of treatment continue to deepen, especially the rapid progress of coronary artery disease intermediary examination and treatment, more and more patients accept such examination and treatment. Coronary angiography is a “golden indicator” for the diagnosis of coronary artery disease. Coronary angiography not only determines the presence and severity of blockage in the coronary arteries, but also provides a basis for the next step in treatment. Patients with mild coronary artery stenosis and good drug therapy should be treated mainly with drugs; patients with heavy symptoms, frequent attacks, severe coronary artery stenosis, or patients with myocardial infarction caused by blockage of blood vessels should receive interventional treatment to open blood vessels or surgical bypass surgery. Patients who have chest pain and suffocation after activity should go to the hospital for coronary angiography as soon as possible to exclude or clarify coronary artery disease, so as not to delay the disease and cause more damage. Coronary angiography is a very safe and effective screening tool. Some patients can also receive interventional treatment to improve myocardial blood supply, relieve symptoms, improve patients’ quality of life, and reduce the death rate. The incidence of serious complications associated with interventional procedures is less than 1%, meaning that approximately 99% of patients can safely complete the procedure.