Why a treatment name is not a result
Coronary angiography is an examination that shows the heart's arteries; PCI, often called angioplasty with or without stent insertion, is treatment that widens a narrowed artery. Those two words describe what was done, not what was found. A China team reviewing your case needs the findings: which artery, which segment, how severe the narrowing was, whether the narrowing was treated, and what the artery looks like after treatment.
This matters because the same phrase, such as 'I had a stent in 2021', can describe very different situations. One patient may have had a single stent in one artery with no remaining significant disease. Another may have had one artery treated while other arteries still have narrowing that was noted but not stented. The proposed plan, the risk discussion and the decision about whether further intervention is even needed all depend on those details.
So the practical rule is simple: for every previous procedure, write what was seen and what was done, in that order. If you do not know a detail, say so rather than guessing. A clear gap is more useful to a clinician than a confident but wrong summary.
The details that change the decision
A useful description of a previous angiography or PCI answers a short list of questions. When was it done, and at which hospital? Was it done because of chest pain, a heart attack, or as a planned assessment? What did the angiography show in each main artery and branch? Was any narrowing described as severe, moderate or mild, and in which segment?
Then the treatment side: was PCI performed in the same session, or was it done later? How many stents were placed, in which artery and segment, and what type were they? Was any narrowing left untreated, and if so, why? Was any other treatment, such as bypass surgery, discussed at the time?
Finally, the follow-up side: what medicines were prescribed after the procedure, and have any been changed since? Have you had any repeat angiography, stress test, CT coronary angiogram or other cardiac assessment since then? What symptoms do you have now compared with before the procedure?
These are not bureaucratic details. They are the difference between a team planning a review of stable coronary disease and a team assessing a possible incomplete revascularisation or a new problem in a previously treated artery.
Turning your records into a one-page summary
You do not need to write a medical report. You need a short, accurate cover note that lets a cardiologist find the key facts quickly. Write it in plain language, in English, and keep it to one page. Put the most recent procedure first, then work backwards.
For each procedure, use the same structure: date and hospital; reason it was done; key angiography findings by artery; what was treated and how; stents placed, if any; medicines started or changed; and any follow-up tests since. If you have the original report, quote the exact wording for the narrowing and the artery names rather than paraphrasing.
Attach the source documents behind the summary: the angiography and PCI report, the discharge summary, the most recent clinic letter, and the latest medication list. If a report is in another language, ask the issuing hospital whether an English version is available, or arrange a translation and keep the original alongside it.
One labelled example of a useful line: 'June 2022, City Hospital: angiography showed a severe narrowing in the mid right coronary artery and a moderate narrowing in the left anterior descending artery. PCI with one drug-eluting stent to the right coronary artery. No stent to the left anterior descending. Discharge medicines: aspirin, clopidogrel, statin, beta-blocker.' That single sentence tells a reviewer more than 'had angioplasty in 2022'.
Assessment visit or intervention visit: say which you are asking about
When you contact a China hospital or a coordination service, state clearly whether you are asking for an assessment of your current coronary situation, or whether you believe you may need a further procedure. These are different requests and they lead to different preparation.
If you are asking for assessment, the team needs your history, your current symptoms, your medicines and your previous imaging and reports. The outcome of an assessment may be that no further procedure is needed, that medical treatment should be adjusted, or that further testing is required before any decision. An assessment is not a booking for a stent.
If you are asking about a possible intervention, the team still starts with the same records, because the decision depends on your coronary anatomy and on what has already been treated. Whether an angiogram leads to a stent in the same session is a clinical decision made at the time, based on what is found. No one can promise in advance that a stent will or will not be placed.
Ask directly: is the proposed visit for assessment or for a procedure, and what would need to be confirmed before a procedure could be planned? That question keeps expectations aligned with what the hospital can actually confirm.
Handover: medicines, follow-up and who does what
Previous treatment results also determine how your ongoing care is handed over. If you travel to China for a cardiology review, the receiving team needs to know your current medicines, doses and who prescribed them, and it needs a clear plan for who will manage them afterwards.
Do not stop or change any heart medicine on your own before or during travel. Ask the treating clinician how your medicines should be managed around any appointment or procedure, and ask for that instruction in writing. If you are taking antiplatelet medicines after a previous stent, that detail is especially important for the receiving team to know.
Ask how follow-up would be arranged: who reviews the results, how they are sent to you, and how your own cardiologist at home would receive them. If you have a treating cardiologist, say so, and ask whether the China team can send a summary to them. A clear handover plan prevents gaps in care after you return home.
Also ask what the hospital's written plan would include: which tests, which consultations, what the estimate covers, and what is still undecided. Ask about the payee for each part. Coordination fees and hospital medical fees are separate, and you should know which is which before you commit.
What to send first, and what to confirm
Start with a short summary, not your entire archive. For an initial enquiry, send your one-page procedure summary, your current medication list, your main question, and your most recent relevant report. You can share the fuller records after first contact, once the team tells you what it needs.
Expect the team to come back with specific questions rather than an immediate plan. That is normal. Missing details about a previous angiography or PCI are common, and the team may ask you to request the original report from the hospital where the procedure was done.
Confirm these points in writing before you travel: whether the visit is for assessment or a possible procedure; what records are still needed; what the hospital's written estimate includes and excludes; who is the payee for each charge; how results and follow-up will be communicated; and how your medicines will be managed. The hospital, not a coordination service, decides clinical suitability and whether any procedure is appropriate.
If you have chest pain that is new, worsening or occurring at rest, or other urgent heart symptoms, seek emergency care locally first. An overseas enquiry should not delay urgent assessment.
A brief next step: prepare your one-page procedure summary and send it with your current medication list and main question. The initial case review is free, and it identifies what is missing and what the relevant next step would be. You can also review the coronary angiography and PCI reference page for how assessment and intervention are organised in China.
Sources & scope of this guide
References and official service information relevant to this guide.
This is general planning information and has not been individually reviewed by a doctor. Medical decisions and personal treatment advice come from your treating clinicians.