An angioplasty (also known as Coronary Artery Balloon Dilation) is a rather common cardiological procedure in which the doctor opens up narrowed arteries. The narrowing is caused by fatty deposits built up in the arteries that can partially or fully restrict blood flow to the portion of the heart. The fatty deposits come from high cholesterol and bad diet. During an angioplasty, a local anesthetic is administered. (Local anesthetic is more or less a lidocaine shot in a specific area. This is different than general because while in general anesthesia you are completely asleep, local anesthesia means you are still awake, but you can not feel anything. The alertness provided for an easier recovery and so the doctor can ask their patient questions during and immediately after, rather than waiting for the patient to wake up.) A catheter with a deflated balloon is threaded up the femoral artery (approximately where the left meets the hip) up to the coronary artery. The balloon is inflated and the artery is reinflated. This procedure is usually accompanied by a stent to prevent further closure (Cardiac Procedures). Another and undisputedly the hardest surgery a cardiologist will perform is a heart transplant. A heart transplant is usually performed after a patient has been diagnosed with heart failure and put on an organ transplant waiting list. However, many things can cause the need for a transplant such as "...Heart attack (myocardial infarction or MI), Viral infection of the heart muscle, High blood pressure, Heart valve disease, Heart defects present…show more content… The idea of transplanting a heart has only been around for around 40 years. In four decades many advancements in the world of medicine have been made. Within the "...past decade and a half, surgeons have made great strides in developing minimally-invasive approaches to [many surgical treatments] including, in recent years, robotically assisted procedures"
