Dear Prashanth:

I am sorry that your mother suffered so much during her long illness, and that you suffered as well, witnessing her suffering.

Regarding your grandmother: “three arteries are 100 percent blocked and one is 95 percent blocked. He recommends an angioplasty with a placement of a stent”

Wikipedia: “Atherosclerosis is a disease in which the inside of an artery narrows due to the buildup of plaque… When severe, it can result in coronary artery disease (happens when the arteries leading to the heart are severely blocked), stroke (happens when arteries leading to the brain are severely blocked), peripheral artery disease (happens when arteries leading to the arms, legs and pelvis are severely blocked), or kidney problems (happens when arteries leading to the kidney are severely blocked), depending on which arteries are affected… Almost all people are affected to some degree by the age of 65. It is the number one cause of death and disability in the developed world.”

“Angioplasty is a minimally invasive endovascular procedure used to widen narrowed or obstructed arteries or veins, typically to treat arterial atherosclerosis… Angioplasty has come to  include all manner of vascular interventions that are typically performed percutaneously (“In surgery, a percutaneous procedure is any procedure or method where access to inner organs or  other tissues is done via needle-puncture of the skin, rather than using an ‘open’ approach where the inner organs or tissues are exposed… A percutaneous access requires only a very small hole through the skin, which seals easily, and heals very quickly, compared to a surgical cut down”).

mayoclinic. org reads: “Although angioplasty is a less invasive way to open clogged arteries than bypass surgery is, the procedure still carries some risks. The most common angioplasty risks include: Re- narrowing of your artery… 10% to 20% when bare-metal stents are used. Blood clots can form within stents even after the procedure.. causing a heart attack. it is important to take aspirin.. that helps reduce the risk of blood clots. Bleeding.. sometimes serious bleeding occurs and may require a blood transfusion or surgical procedures..”

“Most people who have an angioplasty also have a stent placed in their blocked artery during the same procedure. A stent, which looks like a tiny coil of wire mesh, supports the walls of your artery and helps prevent it from re-narrowing after the angioplasty”.

Now back to what you wrote: “He (the doctor) recommends an angioplasty with the placement of a stent… The doctor is 95 percent confident that the surgery would be a success, and 5 percent not sure due to her age and comorbidities”-

– it makes sense to me (as a non-professional) that the doctor is 95% confident that she will survive the  minimally invasive procedure because it doesn’t include opening her up: the procedure doesn’t even require anesthesia, according to the mayoclinic website. The risks of re-narrowing of the arteries and blood clots may happen after the procedure. Therefore, I see the doctor’s confidence that the procedure (aka minimally invasive surgery) will be a success as limited to the procedure itself.

I suppose this procedure is likely to extend her life. Did the doctor tell you for how long it may extend her life?

anita