Northwestern Memorial Hospital Logo

Home > Cardiovascular Institute > Coronary Disease

Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

Recovery
Please notify your doctor right away if you have:

• Chest discomfort or pain (angina) that radiates to the neck, jaw or arm
  
• New symptoms or return of your pattern of angina
  
• Nausea or profuse sweating
  
• Shortness of breath with exertion
  
• An irregular heartbeat
  
• Lightheadedness or dizziness that makes you lie down
  
• A fainting spell
  

Go to the nearest emergency room if you have

• Chest discomfort or pain lasting longer than 10 minutes and not relieved by taking one nitroglycerin tablet under the tongue

• Frequent, recurring episodes of chest discomfort or pain

Risk Factor Modification
Atherosclerosis leading to CAD cannot be cured. Taking steps to reduce you risk factors may prolong life, improve quality of life, and decrease the need for future PCI and surgery. To control atherosclerosis, it is important to make the following lifestyle changes:

• Control hypertension (high blood pressure)

• Control diabetes

• Stop smoking

• Exercise regularly

• Reduce stress

• Modify your diet

Diet
The American Heart Association suggests a heart healthy diet low in cholesterol and fats. Dietary cholesterol may increase the amount of cholesterol in the blood that may cause atherosclerosis. Keep in mind that food products from animal sources contain cholesterol. Some suggestions to help control you intake of cholesterol include the following:

• Use fish, chicken, turkey, or veal for most of your meals; use beef, lamb or pork less frequently.

• Use lean cuts of meat, trim visible fat, and do not use the fat drippings.

• Limit use of organ meats (liver, brain, and kidney) to once a month.

• Use only two to three egg yolks per week, including eggs used in baking.

• Use polyunsaturated oils, such as safflower, corn, soybean, cottonseed, sunflower seed, or sesame oil.

• Use margarine made from polyunsaturated oil instead of butter.

• Use skim milk and skim milk cheese instead of whole milk and whole milk cheese.

• Eat sherbet or flavored ice instead of ice cream.

Smoking
Stop Smoking! Nicotine in cigarettes causes narrowing of the arteries, which decreases blood flow. Smoking also speeds up the heart rate and increases blood pressure.

Contact
Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute
(866) 662-8467

Cardiac Catheterization Department
(312) 926-5135

Review Date: 04/07