In article , "jmcquown"
wrote:

Dad had surgery for blockages in the arteries in both his legs last year.
One didn't quite "take" and they went in again. Apparently it still isn't
right; he's not getting enough blood flow down the leg. So on Monday
morning, May 1, they are going to insert a balloon to open up the artery.

Dad is approaching 81 years of age and I'm concerned about all these
invasive procedures (and anesthesia) at his age. Any spare purrs for a
successful outcome would be appreciated.


While concern is justified, most balloon procedures do not use full
anesthesia, just a local where the artery is entered, and a level of
sedation that makes the patient comfortable. When I've had my cardiac
catheterizations and balloon procedures, I requested no sedation because
I wanted to watch.

With a heart angioplasty, there are some potentially painful times when
blood flow to the heart is blocked. When I had this, I received small
amounts of narcotic in the IV. A leg procedure shouldn't produce this
sort of pain.