Evergreen Hospital Medical Center recently received approval from the State of Washington to perform elective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), a procedure that opens up the blood vessels and reduces the chance of a heart attack. The procedure, also known as stenting via angioplasty, opens clogged blood vessels with a balloon-tipped catheter via the artery in the groin. This may include insertion of an expandable stent. This routine procedure relieves chest discomfort and prolongs survival in unstable angina and acute myocardial infarction.

Evergreen heart specialists have always been able to do these procedures in emergency situations. However, unless a patient was having a heart attack, PCI patients were transported or referred to another hospital for treatment. Now every patient who needs arteries opened can have it done at Evergreen without having to be transported around the county.