As with all types of surgery, coronary angioplasty carries a risk of complications. However, the risk of serious problems is small. Complications can occur during or after an angioplasty. It's common to have bleeding or bruising under the skin where the catheter was inserted.
Stenting is a minimally invasive procedure, meaning it is not considered major surgery. Stents can be made of metal mesh, fabric, silicone, or combinations of materials. Stents used for coronary arteries are made of metal mesh. Fabric stents, also called stent grafts, are used in larger arteries such as the aorta.
A stent can cause blood clotting, which may increase the risk of heart attack or stroke. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute state that about 1 to 2 percent of people who have stented arteries develop a blood clot at the site of the stent. Doctors will usually prescribe one or more drugs to prevent clotting.
For a non-emergency coronary stent procedure, the recovery time is typically around a week. However, an emergency procedure may require a recovery time of several weeks to more than a month. Ultimately, the cardiologist should tell the patient what to expect beforehand.
While the research is clear that stents save lives if inserted during a heart attack, “for most patients with stable heart disease, there's no good evidence that it can save their life or improve their symptoms any more than medication and lifestyle changes,” says Frederick Welt, M.D., chair of the American College of ...
The procedure may take place right after the arteriogram, which is used to find the blockage, or it may occur the next day. You may need to stay in the hospital two or three days.
They found a 1‐year mortality rate of 24% that increased to 36% at long‐term follow‐up with a median of 5.3 years.
One can go back to their normal routine within 2 to 3 days after undergoing the procedure, depending on the doctors' recommendations. However, patients who undergo this procedure must ensure they follow the above-mentioned lifestyle changes to lead a long and healthy life after stent placement.
Cardiac stent procedures were most commonly performed among patients aged 65 to 84 years old for both sexes—and were rare among patients under the age of 45.
It generally takes most people a couple of weeks to start returning to their normal activities after angioplasty/stenting. Before you leave hospital, you'll be given detailed instructions for exercise, medications, follow-up appointments, ongoing wound care and resuming normal activities.
The catheter insertion site could become infected or bleed heavily and will likely be bruised. Other rare complications include heart attack, stroke, and sudden cardiac death, although at a much lower rate than CABG. Even with stenting, it is still possible for the coronary artery to renarrow.
You will be awake during the procedure. The doctor will use live x-ray pictures to carefully guide the catheter up into your heart and arteries. Liquid contrast (sometimes called "dye," will be injected into your body to highlight blood flow through the arteries.
Stents can cause discomfort or pain, commonly in the bladder and kidney (loin) area, but sometimes in other areas such as the groin, urethra and genitals. The discomfort or pain may be more noticeable after physical activities and after passing urine.
Jon Resar, an interventional cardiologist and director of the adult cardiac catheterization laboratory at Johns Hopkins Hospital. By clinical guidelines, an artery should be clogged at least 70 percent before a stent should be placed, Resar said. "A 50 percent blockage doesn't need to be stented," he said.
A stent can save your life during a heart attack, but can it help prevent one? An estimated two million people get coronary artery stents every year, and if you have coronary artery disease, there is a good chance your doctor will suggest you get one.
The Benefits of Stenting
By keeping an artery open, stents lower your risk of chest pain. They can also treat a heart attack in progress and reduce the chance of a future heart attack.
The use of stents has been growing continuously beyond these indications, and today stents are a ubiquitous routine in interventional cardiology. Although stenting is technically more difficult than standard PTCA, it can be achieved with a high primary success rate (94% to 97%).
You will need to take antiplatelet medicines, or blood thinners, to prevent blood clots from forming in the stents in your arteries. Your provider may prescribe these medicines for 1 year or more after getting a coronary stent. For carotid or peripheral artery stents, it may be 1 month or more.
What are the important things that you should be aware of if you intend to take a flight with a heart stent? If you do not have any complications after the heart surgery, you can fly on a commercial flight with a medical escort, after waiting for the required period of time.
A narrowing or blockage in the LAD is more serious than narrowing or blockage in the other arteries. Bypass surgery usually is the best choice for a blocked LAD. If the LAD is not blocked, and there are no other complicating factors, stents are more likely to be used, even if both of the other arteries are blocked.
It's common to have bleeding or bruising under the skin where the catheter was inserted. More serious complications are less common but can include: damage to the artery where the sheath was inserted. allergic reaction to the contrast agent used during the procedure.
Rule No 4: Moderate exercise after stenting procedure: No patient needs bed rest following stent implantation. It is advisable for patients to commence moderate exercise such as walking on the plain ground soon after angioplasty and gradually increase the intensity of exercise.
Preparing for the stenting procedure
You will be asleep for most stent procedures, so plan to have someone else take you home. You may go home the same day or after a few days, depending on the type of stent and your other medical conditions.