Each year more than 500,000 Americans undergo percutaneous coronary intervention, or PCI, a minimally invasive procedure to unclog the arteries that feed the heart. While PCI, which includes both angioplasty and stenting, is one of the most common operations in the world, it does carry a small (about 1-2%) but significant risk of death. Around 10% of all deaths following percutaneous coronary intervention are potentially preventable, a study led by Michigan Medicine finds.
