I have had 3 angiograms/lower drip arteriograms and 1 Peripheral angioplasty (PA) with stents -- 4 times! You have described that procedure to a tee.

Yes you spend 3 to 6 hours like a turtle on its back -- totally sucks.

The danger is in removing the catheter that is inserted where your groin meets your leg. The whole affair is a miserable procedure. The catheter is removed after the procedure by a surgical nurse and they have to compress the wound by hand and then apply a compression bandage. The femoral artery is the large major artery to your leg. If you hemorrhage internally there you will bleed out quickly.

Smokers, like I was: 2 packs a day/40yrs, are 10 times more likely to develop hardened arteries that have clotting and circulation problems to the legs, pelvis, renal (kidney), heart and brain.

It's called arteriosclerosis and it will kill you before your time.

Sorry your prognosis is not good. They managed to stent 2 places in my right upper femoral artery that were 99% occluded (clotted) cost $44K (chargemaster price) to salvage that leg ... They left some lower rear minor coronary arteries that are blocked closed on my heart and I did grow collateral circulation, the Lexiscan tests proved this out. So, the body can grow new small coronary arteries feeding blood to the heart so as to circumnavigate blood and replace the blocked arteries.

I would consider stenting if the top (main branches) coronary arteries show greater than 80% occlusion (blockage). Open Heart Bypass surgery may come after a heart attack and it requires breaking your ribs to perform open heart surgery. One or two months to recover - - a nasty affair even if all goes well.