Total occlusions
A Total Occlusion happens when the narrowing in the coronary artery completely blocks the the artery. When this occurs it is harder to open up the artery with a stent and/or balloon. The treatment for total occlusions will depend on many factors. Your doctors may perform extra tests to find out if the artery has been occluded for a long time and if the area of the heart supplied by the blocked artery is still viable or “alive”.
In the majority of cases it may still be possible to open the artery and restore the flow however the procedure takes more time, special equipment and needs to be booked for a later date.
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