Angioplasty is a procedure in which an artery is artificially dilated by inserting a balloon and then inflating the balloon usually filling it with the liquid. Though there are many types of angioplasty depending on the location of the artery that is to be dilated, most commonly the term refers to the dilation of coronary artery. The arteries usually get blocked due to the build of plaque. High cholesterol is often cited as the reason of the buildup of the plaque in the arteries. Angioplasty is considered a relatively safe procedure and involves almost no down time.

The patients of atherosclerosis are routinely prescribed aspirin and other blood thinning medications. As a matter of fact these blood thinning agents are often the life savers of the cardiac patients as they safeguard against the buildup of blood clots. Blood clots are the reason behind stroke and heart attack.

Aspirin is another name of Acetylsalicylic acid. These acidic medicine often result in the bleeding from stomach and if not controlled the stomach bleeding results in peptic ulcers. To stop the formation of ulcer the most effective medicines are Proton Pump Inhibitors like Omeprazolem, pantoprazole, esomeprazole and lansoprazole.

A new study has surfaced linking the use of theses PPIs to increased death among cardiac patients. The study shows that the use of Omeprazole and Pantoprazole increase the risk of dying from a cardiac event in the patients who have received angioplasty whereas intriguingly esomeprazole and lansoprazole does not seem to effect the patients negatively.

Further research is needed to understand the mechanism through which PPIs affect the patient who received angioplasty.

Angioplasty