Angioplasty Procedure has Potential to Damage Kidneys, Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center Research Shows

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The most common procedure for clearing blocked kidney arteries can also release thousands of tiny particles into the bloodstream that can impair kidney function, according to researchers from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center and colleagues. “This is the first data in humans to show that debris released during angioplasty and stenting of the kidney arteries can be harmful to kidney function,” said Matthew Edwards, M.D., M.S., lead researcher and an assistant professor of surgery. “It raises important questions about how to most safely perform this very common procedure.”