Q: I am a 57 years old man having high blood pressure of 100/150 mmHg. How feasible is angioplasty with a creatinine level of 5.5mg/dl and urea of 200mg/dl?

A:The dye used during angioplasty is damaging to the kidneys (nephrotoxic) and therefore elevation of blood urea and serum creatinine puts the angioplasty patient at an additional risk. However, a number of pharmaceutical modalities are being used now to prevent kidney damage from the dye, as also the amount of dye used is reduced in these patients by the angioplaster. The final decision as to whether angioplasty is feasible or not will depend on the type of lesion, the number of arteries which are involved and therefore you must seek a consultation with your cardiologist, who will be in a better position to answer this question.